That would be trespassing." "Now look, buddy," he started puffing out his chest a bit. "We got a work order signed by the HOA president.
We're authorized." "No, you're not," I said, still calm. I pulled out a folded document from my back pocket. It was a copy of Frank's cease and desist letter.
"This is a letter from my attorney, which has already been delivered to your client, Karen. It puts her and any of her agents, which right now includes you, on notice." I then pulled out a second document, the printout of the Florida DEP statute. "More importantly, this is Florida statute 373.309.
The pond you've been hired to fill is a state-protected artesian spring. If you so much as scoop a bucket of dirt into it, your company and you personally will be facing a minimum $10,000 fine from the state. And that's just for starters. It's a criminal offense.
You see that little camera on my shirt pocket?" I tapped my phone. "It's recording this entire conversation, your truck, your license plate, your faces. It's all being documented."
The man's bravado evaporated. He stared at the papers in my hand, then at my phone, then back at his partner, who was looking increasingly uncomfortable. The word criminal offense had a sobering effect. "She She just said it was a landscaping dispute," the foreman stammered.
"She said the homeowner was just being difficult." "She lied," I said simply. "She's demanding you commit a crime for her.
Is that a risk your boss wants to take? Because I have the DEP's direct number right here. We can call them together and you can ask them yourself if you're authorized to fill in a protected waterway." He took a step back.