BECAUSE THEY CAN'T PROVE IT.

Why would the district do something like that????? There would be absolutely no benefit to the district.

You are right, it's a big deal for some but not for others. No one was killed or injured. As you say you know people are are talking a lot about it in the neighborhood.
Just a hint for someone who wants to have a better chance of getting away with a crime: Do the crime by yourself, don't brag, don't take your cell phone or E-Z pass with you, don't make any unusual deposits, drive a non -flashy vehicle and obey traffic laws when leaving the scene.
Or to really rest easier: Don't commit the crime in the first place.

It sounded like I was trying to minimize it, but I wasn't. AND I very much respect your opinion. Sorry if I sounded critical of what you said. I didn't mean it that way.

I tend to believe that the truth will come out and those responsible will be held accountable. The district most likely will foot the bill initially to make things right, with the intention of getting every penny back. I would be beyond shocked if it turned out to be the actions of the developer or the district that took those trees down. This issue will be resolved in time.

The longer this runs on the more the conspiracy theories will grow. The District should make a public statement as to the reasons they are paying the fine. Failing factual info the rumblings will continue.

I think they did. It was done to district property. The St. John's River authority got on them about it. It is ultimately the district's problem, because it is district's land even if a third party(s) had the cleared to increase their site lines to the lake. Someone came on to the district's property and illegally removed trees that are protected under law. Now the law can make the district pay to replace them.

http://www.sjrwmd.com/about/

There was a similar situation in my old neighborhood where mature trees were leveled for two blocks without warning.. The utility company that did it replaced each tree with a sapling and called it even. So don't expect large replacement trees, unfortunately.

Thanks- Maybe that was covered in an earlier post, but if so I missed it. Totally logical, but apparantly many didn't see a District Response.

Was this info disclosed publicly?

Challenger, I am beginning to doubt my memory. There were articles twice in the Daily Sun explaining the problem, but they don't archive, so I can't find the article.

It is possible that my memory of what I read is flawed. I am not trying to start trouble.

Reward
 

Apparently the reward is not high enough. If the District was not at fault but is willing to pay $30,000.00 then maybe a higher reward would help Say $20,000 reward upon conviction and the District could save $10,000 .

I think that your memory is quite good. Now, who am I responding to?

My guess is that you did, in fact, see their response. Thanks for searching

I think the district is paying for it so it is done in a timely fashion so the St. John's River authority doesn't charge more in the long run(possibly fines).

Once they fine out who did this, then they can go after them to be reimbursed.

Today's Daily Sun reports that CDD 5 got approval to restore the oak trees. It mentions that the cut oak tree debris is behind at least four residences. The houses are 1750, 1764, 1778, and 1792 Lake Miona Drive in The Village of Bridgeport at Lake Miona. There is a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.

I was kayaking recently on Lake Miona and I saw what I believe is the area where the oak trees were cut down. There is a big gap when you look at the back of the homes. I could be wrong so I only put this out as an FYI, but what I saw was astounding. there appears to be only two houses that have an improved view of the lake, both are light colored houses, either a light yellow or cream color. These houses are next to one another. One of these houses has construction tape wrapped around the lanai. It looks like they are having some work done on their lanai. It appeared that the screen had been removed. They have a greatly improved view if I am correct that this was the location where the trees were cut down. It is hard to see from the water side as the tall grasses etc., obscure some visibility. It would be interesting to see if they had sought ARC approval and got a building permit for the lanai work. It appears that construction has stopped as I was on the lake a few times and no progress has been made.

Good detective work Happydaz. Would it have been possible for the perpetrator to come in from the water side with his saw to do the dirty deed? The fact that they left the tree debris behind tells us they did not want to do a professional job of cutting down the trees and hauling them away. And now CDD5 gets to pay the $30,000 fine.

BTW: 1792 Lake Miona Drive is listed for sale on TV website for $1,100,000.

Very interesting theory! Yes it is possible for someone to have taken a boat to this area and then beach the boat in the grass and walk to the shore with saws and equipment. The fact that they left all the debris is also indicative of someone who came in, cut, and left quickly. One of the homeowners could have done it themselves, but in view of the size of these live oaks he would have had to been an experienced tree cutter.