Nice post Gracie....

How about helping us understand what your message is supposed to be?

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...rends_t618.jpg

No data available yet for pillory sales.

Exactly. And as I have pointed out, this case appears to be solveable through subpoena of bank, credit card, and telephone records--as well as subpoena of potential witnesses.

What we are are seeing is a perversion of the criminal-justice system. Could a Villages burglar duck the whole system by anonymously returning the loot when things start to get hot? Incredible.

By the way, I would not object to a suspended sentence, fine, and restitution in this case. My objection is to the way this felony investigation has been handled and the lack of reporting as to what is going on. For example, what exactly is the deal that has been cut with the perpetrators' front organization, The Friends of Lake Miona, and the prosecutor? We are entitled to know.

Where does that $100,000 figure some from? How did it cost the districts anything because a few trees were cut down?[/QUOTE]

I am refering to posts that I read in a previous thread on ther matter. At least one poster indicated that there was an article in the on line News that the Fine was $30,000, replanting could cost from $40-50,000 . Another post indicated that the District woul be responsible for annual inspections and replanting, if necessary for 4-5 years at about $2500 per year.

Not quite $100,000 but a good bit more than the charitable offering of the "Friends."

If my numbers are not close enough or incorrect I would be happy to adopt the correct figures , if a knowlegable respondent can provide them.

Isn't the illegal clearing of these trees on publically owned property a crime against the citizens of Florida. If , so , how can anyone offer amnesty other than through judicial action?

Excellent cartoon!:coolsmiley:

You missed a couple posts.

How would their financial records make them look guilty? I would imagine it was a cash deal. And not that much either. I mean a withdrawal from someone's account of four or five hundred dollars to pay the tree cutters is NOT that noteworthy. I am afraid you wouldn't be a good writer for a crime series.

The fine has been paid and the trees have been replanted which satisfies the state agency that levied the fine.


Now the blood that someone wants and needs is a different story.


It is crummy and sordid and nasty and selfish and underhanded as hell but...you can't get blood out of a turnip.

You really don't know what you are going to find until you look.

The entity who has a reason to ask for that money now...is the entity that paid the fine and replanted the trees at their expense i.e.....the CDD. AND they are the ones that could negotiate.


According to the Constitution, one must have a reason to search that is valid and not frivolous. In other words you must supply an abundance of information to get a search warrant. The laws that protect the innocent also protect the guilty. You can't just say that it was behind their home. Which person exactly???? I am NOT defending the craponuses. I am just pointing out that witchhunts aren't legal.

This was addressed by Advogadro previously and I also looked into it. The burden of proof to get phone records is apparently less than what is needed to get a search warrant (such as actually tapping a phone). I don't mean to speak for Advogadro, but I believe his point was there are records that can be obtained as part of an investigation that don't require probable cause. I would hope that all possible investigative options were exhausted. We may never know.

Put politely, you have a total, utter, and complete misunderstanding of the fourth amendment and the law. Unlike a search warrant, no probable cause is required for a subpoena. Subpoenas are routinely issued as an investigative tool. Otherwise, no complex crimes would ever get solved.

Advogado you are right they are used to primarily as fact finding and issued when potential witnesses refuse to testify or turn over documents. I was on the civil side of investigation and subpoenas were routinely used to compel

Right as both of you are re: the use of subpoenas, they can also be quashed given the right circumstances. You can only "compel" to a point.....

At this point I am more than curious about the investigation, how and by whom it was conducted, what was found (and not found), who was interviewed, and what was done (and not done), what authorities were involved, who made the "plea bargain" offer, whether the offer could legally be made, and so on.

What is "the rest of the story"?

I am having a hard time understanding why you and your ilk cannot come to the accept the fact that the resitution has been made to the satisfaction of the district and probably the law enforcment community. As far as they are concerned this case is closed. When an offer of amnesty is made and accepted, that is usually it. You are not going to get your pound of flesh.

If you have put people behind bars as you say, then your are probably aware settlements are reached and court records are sealed to protect identities. We, the general public, are not going to findout the names of the person(s) responsible for the cutting. All you are doing now is bullying those that disagree with you.

Let's all agree to move on....

Actually, there might be some things you could do to try and discover some of all that. Maybe you could get a small group together on TOTV thru some PM's (you can probably guess who to invite) and draft some Florida Sunshine Law (Open Public Records) information requests and submit them to the various public agencies involved: Start local (CDD, SLCDD, VCCDD, PWAC, SCSO) and go up the chain to the higher level state agencies (State Atty. Office for Sumter County, Fish & Wildlife, the Southwest Water Mmgmnt Authority (or whatever it's called), etc.)

You will either get replies with various materials (correspondence, phone logs, emails, etc.), or maybe some of the materials will contain redacted passages, or maybe, you might just get some replies that state nothing can be released under one or more of the "open/active/ongoing investigation or case" exemptions of the Sunshine Law.

That might at least give you some idea whether the case is still active and being pursued, albeit at less than the speed of heat in a vacuum, or whether it has truly been closed. I, for one, would be quite interested to hear what you find out and what types of responses you receive. Go for it!!

A very wise post. Thanks. It was definitely getting the political forum feel to it. Hmmm, I wonder why.

And then a public lynching can be scheduled at Brownwood!!

Haha!! Little did they know when they chose that "theme" for that newest Town Square what it might lead to.....or did they?? :icon_wink:

I read and reread your post. Each time it got better. I got it the second time and enjoyed each subsequent reading. Thanks.

"The lady doth protest too much"

Why are a few so anxious to end the discussion- debate, in this thread. Why do they deride the victums of a crime who are calling for a modecum of justice for an arrogant crime.

I do not want to see a public lynching, but I do want to see that the perpetrators are outed and at least pay for all of the costs that they have caused our community. If $25,000 is the correct amount then so be it. If not then I for one won't be satisfied until all cost are covered.

If the property that was destroyed was on public lands then CDD5 is not the only party with standing to bring action. How can they offer amnesty without judicial action?

Financially, as a resident of CDD8 the proportionate costs for me approaches $0. I however, think that fairness would require the perpetrators to pay all of the costs.

Personally, I'm OK with spreading the cost over everyone SOUTH of 466...so what do you guys think about striping the multi modal path?

And why is this outing so important to you? Would that change your life? A scarlet letter perhaps?