A Miami homeowner heads to court all because a tree along his property line disappeared. He says he never gave permission to cut it down, but someone did. 7\u2019s Heather Walker investigates.<\/p>\n
The trees surrounding this duplex in Little Haiti were a huge selling point for Stefan Pizzi and his girlfriend. Especially a 50 foot tall oak tree on the property line.<\/p>\n
Stefan Pizzi: \u201cIt stood in contrast to the orange fence that\u2019s there. The brown bark really popped and it made a really cool feature of the home.\u201d<\/p>\n
They bought the duplex in 2023. The tree disappeared last year.<\/p>\n
Stefan Pizzi: \u201cYeah, so we get a call from our front door tenant. She calls us in panic. She\u2019s saying, \u2018They\u2019ve cut down the oak tree.’\u201d<\/p>\n
A crew was clearing the land next door. Multiple trees on the lot had to be taken down including the oak tree on Stefan\u2019s property line.<\/p>\n
He called the property owner, JF Property Holdings, LLC. He was told they were given permission to cut down the tree.<\/p>\n
Stefan Pizzi: \u201cHe told me that he had a permit to remove those trees and specifically the oak tree. The City of Miami was given a signed letter of consent. And it supposedly bared our signatures, me and my girlfriend, the co-owner of the property\u2019s signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stefan got a copy of the letter from the city. It was submitted by the owner of the property being developed. It says: <\/p>\n
\u201cStefan Parris Pizzi and Adriana Victoria Ocampo\u2026have been informed that a tree that shares property boundary\u2026 is scheduled for removal as a result of construction of a new single-family home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stefan says he and his girlfriend didn\u2019t write that letter and the signatures are from someone else.<\/p>\n
Stefan Pizzi: \u201cSo they were completely different signatures versus the names on there. That\u2019s not our signatures! Again, I felt upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stefan filed a lawsuit against the owner of the property next door, JF Property Holdings, LLC and three others involved in the construction work and tree removal.<\/p>\n
He originally sued for trespassing, conversion, fraud and forgery.<\/p>\n
The person who notarized the letter was sued for negligent notarization.<\/p>\n
Back in July, a judge permanently dismissed the fraud and forgery count.<\/p>\n
The attorneys for the defendants tell 7News: \u201cThe claims regarding any irregular signatures directed at my clients have been dismissed. This case is a classic Miami money grab, nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stefan Pizzi: \u201cI do want the city to take this very seriously, because this is not just, \u2018We cut down someone\u2019s tree.\u2019 And it has to come to a stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
A representative with the city tells 7News: <\/p>\n
\u201cThe department proceeded with the permitting process under the assumption that all parties were acting in good faith. To the extent that there are allegations that this was a fraudulent submittal, we will track the developments of any investigation and take appropriate action, to be determined, on our part.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stefan and his girlfriend ground down half of the tree stump left on their property and closed the gap in the fence.<\/p>\n
They then planted some bamboo to help block the view of the new house next door, just like the old oak tree could have done.<\/p>\n
Heather Walker, 7News.<\/p>\n