United States News
See other United States News Articles
Title: Gov’t Forcing Couple to Tear Down Amazing Treehouse On Their Property—Or Else
Source:
Activist Post/FTP
URL Source: https://www.activistpost.com/2018/0 ... g-treehouse-property-else.html
Published: Jan 9, 2018
Author: Jack Burns
Post Date: 2018-01-10 05:51:53 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 411
Comments: 3
By Jack Burns Holmes Beach, FL — Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen have spent over $150,000 building a beachfront treehouse on Anna Maria Island on Florida’s west coast—in their own backyard. But it wasn’t the cost of the treehouse that was so expensive, it was the legal fees they spent trying to keep the city from tearing it down. After years of legal jousting, the couple has appealed their right to keep their treehouse all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). However, on Monday, the state won. SCOTUS claimed a case of the state forcing a property owner to tear down an expensive building on their own property was simply not worth their time. Tran and Hazen built the two-level structure on their property as a getaway from their main home. The treehouse has windows which allow guests to enjoy a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico. But city officials say the couple did not get the proper permit needed to legally construct the dwelling. Tran and Hazen disagree and explained that they did everything by the book. They say they asked the City of Holmes Beach if they needed a permit and were told “No.” Construction began in 2011. Shortly thereafter, a so-called “anonymous complaint” led city officials to investigate. That investigation resulted in the city telling the couple they had to take it down because the treehouse was outside of the city’s set-back line and they did not have a proper permit for its construction. They refused to tear it down and challenged the city in court. Unfortunately, the courts have sided with the city. Tran and Hazen then appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the court was not concerned with property rights and, therefore, chose not to make a ruling. Tran and Hazen only spent $30,000 on the tree-mounted structure. In an interview with CBS News, Tran said, “The Supreme Court is the last court of resort…if it doesn’t work out, we don’t even want to think about it yet…especially when we knew we didn’t do anything wrong.” And in a telephone interview with the Associated Press, she elaborated, “Part of me still believes there’s got to be justice out there and we didn’t do anything wrong.” Sadly, her hope has run out. They are now going to be forced to continue to pay a $50-per-day fine—which has been racking up for weeks—or tear it down. Make no mistake, if this couple refuses to pay the fine, armed agents of the state will come to their home and arrest them. Tran and Hazen run Angelinos Sea Lodge, a rental property on the coast. They have no children and do not rent out the treehouse but say that guests at their lodge enjoy spending time inside the structure, enjoying the views and the breeze. Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson apparently couldn’t care less what happens to the couple’s investment. He said their fight to keep their treehouse is “quite honestly a waste of time,” and added, “for some reason these people have this fixation on it.” For free-thinking freedom lovers, the thought of the city telling property owners that they can’t enhance their own property is an absurdity. Even more ludicrous is the notion that property owners ever really own their property. The minute a family stops paying government-imposed property taxes, the city takes their property and sells it to someone else, all of which raises the question, “do we really own property or does the government just let us think we do.” After all, as TFTP has reported on numerous occasions, conforming to city codes and permitting is required by law. Even the act of gardening has been ruled illegal in some parts of the country. Currently, in almost every state in the union, people have to have a permit to go fishing, build a shed, get married, travel, have a business, work, drive a car, and the list goes on and on. So, who’s really free if every major life decision is left up to someone else? Jack Burns is an educator, journalist, investigative reporter, and advocate of natural medicine. This article first appeared at The Free Thought Project.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Deckard (#0)
There are no tyrants more evil than your neighbors and zoning boards.
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
What a damn shame. They should claim it is a Muslim prayer space, and tell the zoning board to FO Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Never Pick A Fight With An Old Man He Will Just Shoot You He Can't Afford To Get Hurt "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." (Will Rogers)
Maybe they could convert to Druidism and call the tree house a church.
#2. To: Deckard (#0)
#3. To: Stoner (#2)
They should claim it is a Muslim prayer space,
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]