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Magistrate imposes $5,000-per-violation fines after contractor removes trees without permits in Titusville lot
Summary
The magistrate found irreversible tree removal and site work occurred at 5480 Wendy Lee Drive without permits and imposed $5,000 per violation plus $163.75 in administrative costs; the owner has 30 days to pay.
The magistrate found that trees had been removed and site work performed at 5480 Wendy Lee Drive in Titusville without required permits and concluded the violations were irreversible. The magistrate imposed fines of $5,000 per violation and administrative costs of $163.75, ordered payment within 30 days and stated that certified orders may be recorded in the public records.
Officer Flanagan testified that inspections and aerial records showed the lot had been fully wooded prior to the work, that no active permits were on file and that silt fencing and stump removal had been observed during a March site visit. The officer confirmed the city had sent notice and that the site-plan approval from a prior owner (2021) did not substitute for the required preconstruction conference and permits for the current work. Officer Flanagan concluded: “These violations are irreversible. We can't put that canopy back up.”
A representative who said he had assisted the purchaser attended but was not the property owner and did not present sworn evidence; the magistrate declined further postponement and issued the fines. The magistrate set a 30-day payment window and recorded administrative costs; future violations of the same sections will be treated as repeat violations.
