Florida, Jan7, 2018: A couple in Florida in a losing battle with the city over their beachfront treehouse said they’re hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will enter the fray and save their “getaway.”
The treehouse in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island belongs to owners Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen and will be torn down unless the nation’s highest court decides to make a ruling.
A decision on whether it’ll take the case could come as early as Monday.
The justices only hear about 80 of the several thousands of cases they’re asked to take each year, according to the Supreme Court FAQ page, so the couple’s chances seem slim.
But their lawyer, David Levin, told The Associated Press that he believes his client’s rights were violated when a Florida court “rubber stamped” a ruling proposed by the city of Holmes Beach without any evidence of independent consideration.
The couple said they built the structure after receiving what turned out to be bad advice from the city in 2011.
They run a rental property on the island with a house and four rental units and said when they decided to build the treehouse, they asked the city if they needed a permit and they were told no.
Six months and $30,000 later, the couple had their structure, complete with two levels, hammocks and a view of the Gulf of Mexico.
Tran said they’ve probably spent five times the cost of the treehouse trying to defend it. They’re accumulating a $50-per-day fine for not taking it down. To date, that has added up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Source :Fox News
