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Magistrate orders $1,566.73 total penalty for unpermitted specimen tree removal
Summary
The City of Edgewater special magistrate found a violation for removal of a specimen tree and ordered a $300 civil fine plus a $1,266.73 mitigation payment under the development agreement.
Ryan Knight, the special magistrate for the City of Edgewater, found that a specimen tree was removed without a permit in case 25-122853 and ordered enforcement penalties at the Dec. 11 hearing.
The magistrate said the respondent is subject to a civil fine of $300 and, pursuant to the development agreement, must pay a one-time mitigation fee of $1,266.73. Knight cited the land development code’s replacement/mitigation standards for historic specimen trees and noted the code allows either physical replacement at a 2:1 caliper ratio or a monetary fee calculation.
Code testimony described the removed tree as a specimen and relied on the Oak Leaf Preserve specimen-tree mitigation form that established the mitigation calculation. The magistrate directed the amount be a single payment and stated no further fines would be imposed for this citation.
The decision is final unless appealed to circuit court within 30 days, as Knight explained at the hearing.
