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Respondent agrees to restore or relocate unpermitted pond; magistrate grants 90 days to comply
Summary
In Case 25‑008674, the respondent offered to either abandon and restore an excavated pond or relocate it to a compliant site after county staff flagged elevation and floodplain concerns; Growth Management Director Jeff Hayes said public‑works review is needed and the magistrate granted 90 days for compliance actions.
Alachua County presented Case 25‑008674 alleging excavation and construction of a pond at 18736 NW 282nd Drive, High Springs (parcel 01456010001) without required permits. County staff told the hearing the matter arose from a complaint dated Aug. 19 and that permits had not been applied for as of Jan. 8; county officials recommended a compliance period and noted potential fines for continued violation.
The individual who appeared and spoke in his defense identified himself in the record as "Yanboli." County documents in the file list the property owner as Lee Yang Bu; the transcript records both names and the respondent used "Yanboli" when speaking. The respondent told the magistrate he had begun excavation before final development plan approval, said no wetland violation was cited during inspections, and offered two resolution options: abandon and restore the excavation to grade under county guidelines (his preferred option), or relocate and redesign the pond to meet the required 42‑foot elevation and submit permit applications.
Jeff Hayes, Alachua County’s growth management director, told the hearing the excavation area may lie in the floodplain and must be coordinated with public works; Hayes said either restoration to grade or permitting through the development review process could bring the site into compliance but cautioned that adding fill in the floodplain might be impermissible. The county stated that additional time beyond the standard 30 days was reasonable to allow for coordination; the respondent proposed 60 days and the magistrate granted 90 days to come into compliance.
A neighbor, Jim Konish, spoke during public comment to raise deed‑restriction, archaeological and water‑quality concerns; the magistrate noted those matters were outside the tribunal’s limited enforcement scope, which focused on the unpermitted pond. No final monetary penalty was imposed in the hearing record; the magistrate said a written decision would follow and the respondent would be notified by mail.
