It seems to be standard operating procedure in the Grove -- buy an empty lot, get a tree permit, post it for 10 days somewhere on site and, barring no public response from your neighbor, bring out the demolition death tree squad.

As I was criss-crossing the neighborhood last week, dropping off flyers for the next Coconut Grove Civic Club directors meeting, I came across a wood chipper, a bulldozer and an empty 20-foot truck at the corner of Plaza and Poinciana.

After alerting my fellow Civic Club director Joni Chandler, we were able to stop the workmen from continuing their afternoon of tree cutting. The subcontractor departed for the day, promising not to cut any more trees until the city-issued tree permit and sketch could be verified.

I immediately notified the South West NET -- Neighborhood Enhancement Team, what an ironic acronym. I was told that they would dispatch someone named Michelle to the site with camera in hand to check it out.

I asked her to issue a cease-and-desist order for the tree-cutting activity until we could compare the permit against what was really happening. Whether she did that, I do not know.

My cohort, Joni Chandler, took the before-and-after photographs and we identified the trees fallen against the trees to be "removed and relocated." Therein lies the story.

The next morning I revisited the site to be sure the saved oak trees and Royal Poincianas from yesterday were still standing. But, I was too late. The trees were all cut into pieces and stacked in a six-foot high pile for hauling out of the Grove.

These property owners calculate every move in order to build out their square footage capacity by playing the "politically correct" paper game and then directing their self-serving orders for tree cutting to the field crew. The end game is punishable by a mere $500 fine by the NET office, a mere pittance for the shame of the act.

In this episode, the tree permit clearly states "remove and relocate." My photographs show the pile of oak wood left by the chain sawing tree cutters. Two beautiful oaks that were obviously over 30 feet tall were bulldozed, chopped into 4-foot pieces and hauled away. Another four Royal Poinciana trees also were chain sawed and pulled to the ground by the dozer and then put through the wood chipper. Another 25-foot Black Olive tree also was pulled to the ground and fed into the wood chipper.

In all fairness, this would not be a problem if the tree permit correctly matched up with the tree cutters actions. But, to deceive the neighbors with "correct notice" and then intentionally perform another totally illegal act is Criminal.

I talked with Thelma Edwards, the presiding Administrator at the South West NET Office. She claims that this type of incident happens all too frequently and suggests that we strengthen the tree ordinance to halt the practice of illegal tree cutting. The Treeman Trust intends to do this.

My contention is that you can pass all of the legislation you want, but without enforcement of the permit there is no other way to stop these owner-developers from devastating the tree canopy.

My personal confrontation with contractor Eduardo Miranda that morning testifies to the fact that paying the fine is just another "way of doing business."

After Mr. Miranda denied my assertion that the trees were to be relocated, we read the permit together and he acknowledged that I was correct. He added that the property owners would just have to pay the fine. But, that's not the point. Those trees could have been relocated to Virrick Park in the West Grove, Francis Tucker Elementary School or a local Church.

This single act demonstrates intent to defraud the system, with total negligence to the actual permit and complete allegiance to the owner's wishes. This is not a case of misinterpretation, but outright intent to deceive the public interest.

Well, see you in mitigation court. I would hope that punitive damages would set a precedent in this case, as the subcontractors were caught in the act. But, as a citizen becoming more cynical all the time, the penalty will never equal the shame of the wrongful act done here.

Just sign me truly outraged.