After contested hearing, Code Enforcement Board finds tree removal violated city code and allows 30 days for compliance talks

The Vero Beach Code Enforcement Board found that a homeowner removed a large oak tree without the documentation the city requires and declared a violation, but gave the respondent a short window to negotiate a compliance agreement with city staff rather than imposing a finalized fine at the hearing.

The case, 24CE14029, centers on the removal of an oak at 601 East Causeway Boulevard. The homeowner, David J. Matthews, testified he hired an arborist who concluded the tree posed a substantial risk to a driveway, a privacy wall and nearby infrastructure. Matthews and his counsel presented photographs and what they said were arborist assessments asserting removal was the only practical mitigation.

Planning Director Jason Jeffries told the board that the city had reviewed Matthews’ submissions and determined the documentation submitted did not comply with the tree‑risk‑assessment procedures the Florida Legislature referenced in the state statute (Fla. Stat. §163.045). The city had asked for a complete tree‑risk assessment report; when Chen Moore and Associates, the city’s contracted consultant, reviewed Matthews’ materials they concluded portions were not populated or did not use the risk‑matrix approach required by the national best‑management practices the statute cites.

Camille Scali…