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Movement for Change official testifies about funding, city offers conditional waiver in Pensacola tree-removal case
Summary
Jerry McIntosh, vice president of Movement for Change, told the magistrate his nonprofit had limited funds after a family tragedy and is working to remove dead trees; the city said it would waive court costs if the property is compliant by Nov. 3, 2025.
At the Oct. 21, 2025 Code Enforcement Authority hearing, Jerry McIntosh, vice president of the nonprofit Movement for Change, testified under oath about efforts and financial constraints in addressing dead trees at 1603 N. Davis Highway that were shedding limbs into the Chappie James Museum parking lot.
Code Enforcement Officer Ron Bowden said the case began July 31 after a citizen complaint, that an arborist recommended pruning and removal of dead trees, and that successive inspections showed the property remained in violation through September and early October. Bowden presented photos documenting dead branches and some initial pruning; his inspection on the morning of Oct. 21 showed one tree removed and debris where further work was in progress.
McIntosh told the magistrate he had been out of town after a family tragedy — "my son was killed in a car accident" — and that Movement for Change has been relying on limited fundraising to pay for tree removal. He said the nonprofit had taken down some trees (including one on Sept. 8) and planned further work as funds allowed, and asked the court not to impose court costs that would be burdensome.
Officer Bowden told the court the city was prepared to waive the $200 court cost if the property was brought into compliance by Nov. 3, 2025. Special Magistrate Matthew Hargraves incorporated that offer into his ruling: he found notice had been provided and the property in violation beyond the compliance date, ordered that court costs be waived until 11/03/2025, and stated that if the property remained noncompliant on Nov. 3 the $200 court costs would be awarded and daily fines of $25 per day would begin Nov. 4, 2025.
The magistrate limited the scope of the hearing to the code violation; he told McIntosh that other disputes (for example, any prior work the city did on the property) were not part of the present hearing and should be addressed separately with city staff. The hearing record shows the city will re-inspect the property and enforce the conditional waiver consistent with the magistrate’s order.
