Video Transcript

Most unauthorized cuttings of mangroves are reported to the state or the local government by angry neighbors who enjoy the natural view and the bird life and whatnot that the mangroves typically attract and provide. If you have cut mangroves without any permit whatsoever, the state will institute an enforcement action against you. In many cases, for minor violations you might get a letter from the state simply advising you that you're not supposed to trim mangroves without a permit and offering you assistance so that you can comply in the future.

For greater violations involving a large number of mangrove trees or actual removal of the entire tree or trees, you can find yourself in a situation where the state of Florida is prosecuting you for violating the law, in which case you can be subject to both stiff penalties and requirements to actually plant and restore mangroves to replace the ones that you removed or who trimmed in an unauthorized fashion.

For second or subsequent violations, the penalties can be quite substantial, in many cases rising into the hundreds of thousands of dollar range and the planting requirements can be equally burdensome. In all cases, before touching mangroves you should be consulting with an arborist, an environmental consultant and an attorney who are familiar with the regulations governing mangroves.