HOLMES BEACH – The treehouse had its last holiday over the July Fourth weekend.
Owner Lynn Tran opened the property at Angelinos Sea Lodge to fans of the structure to allow them a chance to take photographs and say their goodbyes before the treehouse is demolished.
Tran said the holiday was a fitting way to say goodbye to the treehouse.
Its first appearance in The Sun was in the 2011 July Fourth issue.
The treehouse was constructed in an Australian pine, supported by pilings wrapped in a material resembling tree trunks.
Tran and co-owner Richard Hazen maintain they contacted the Holmes Beach Building Department to inquire if they needed a permit to construct a treehouse before building the structure and were told they did not. However, once the structure was completed, code enforcement officers cited the owners for building without a permit.
The city’s building official at the time said the initial inquiry was for a platform supported by a tree, not the elaborate, two-story structure supported by pilings and featuring windows that was eventually constructed.
The city denied Tran and Hazen’s after-the-fact permit application due to the structure being unlawfully built too close to the erosion control line.
After fighting the city and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in court since 2011, a final ruling from 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas in February mandated the removal of the treehouse.
Tran and Hazen made a preliminary move to appeal the decision in Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal, but ultimately dropped the appeal, with their attorney stating during a June case status conference with Nicholas that they agreed to tear down the treehouse.
While demolition of the treehouse has not yet been scheduled, the structure is planned for removal by the end of July in line with a DEP permit that expires on July 31.
MEMORIES
Fans of the treehouse and community members, along with a few curious onlookers, took the opportunity July 4-5 to visit the treehouse and reflect on their happy memories of the structure and express their feelings on the pending demolition. Some also expressed their treehouse memories on social media.
“My husband proposed at the benches to the right of the treehouse,” Misty Turcotte said.
“Always enjoyed walking and checking out the treehouse,” Jan Fitzgerald said. “I loved all the animals in it.”
Over the years, the owners added quirky accents to the treehouse, including several animal statues, such as a leopard lounging above a window, a monkey swinging from a vine, a snake and spider on the outside and other assorted creatures.
One couple said that they were married on the beach in front of the treehouse. Another said they had come to visit because they were curious about the treehouse and why it was being removed.
“It will seem weird on our next visit not to see it there,” Anne Douglas Johnson said on The Sun’s Facebook page. “It is sad because it isn’t hurting anything where it is.”
Several people stated their dismay that the treehouse was being torn down though they were thankful for the opportunity to see it one final time.
“It’s such a shame they have to demolish this beautiful treehouse,” Beverley Thomas said.
“It’s such a cool spot,” Michelle Rose-Castillo said. “Too bad they couldn’t have worked something out.”
“That was a long fight,” Brandy Orlando said. “I wish it didn’t come to this; many fought for it to stay.”
“They fought a good fight,” Ali Spaid said of the treehouse owners. “It’s truly a shame the city wouldn’t work out a way for it to remain. It’s become an Island staple for the last 13 years, lasted through major storms and this discrepancy is what is taking it down… so much for our unique Island. I hope the owners find comfort knowing how many locals are with them.”
