A Villager has hit the Community Development District 10 Board of Supervisors with a $51,380 bill seeking “restitution for libel, slander and defamation of character” in a tree removal incident at Lake Deaton.
A resident hand delivered the bill from Villager Jerry Hubbuch Thursday afternoon to the CDD 10 board during the monthly meeting at Savannah Center.
Last month, the residents of Valleybrook Way in the Village of Dunedin claimed their reputations have been “destroyed” and they have been unjustly branded as criminals thanks to the actions of a contractor who is now facing criminal charges. The contractor is charged with removing trees from a protected wetland at the lake, located behind the residents’ homes. The homeowners said they were victims of the contractor who claimed he had permission to remove the unwanted vegetation.
The District has billed the residents for the remediation of the damaged areas.
“Some of the owners paid the invoices in full, some paid partially, some did not pay,” District Counsel Mark Brionez said Thursday as he updated the board about the case.
The board agreed to give “those who have not paid” until June 15 to submit payment.
Hubbuch, who was not at the meeting, told Villages-News.com that he initially received a $628 bill from the District that was later reduced to $583. In return, he sent them the $51,380 invoice.
“I’m not looking for money,” he said in a phone interview with Villages-News.com.
He said he is more interested in a “retraction” from the board, which he said unfairly described him and his neighbors as “criminals.”
He added that he would like to see the money paid by his neighbors refunded to them by the District.
“They were victimized twice,” Hubbuch said. “Once by the unscrupulous contractor and the second time by the District.”
