Dade Class Action Suit Over Citrus Canker Finally Goes To Court
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Nearly 16 years in the making, a class action suit over the state's destruction of thousands of orange, grapefruit and key lime trees over citrus canker concerns finally has its day in court.
The lead plaintiff's in the suit, which represents an estimated 100,000 property owners, are Brian and Bunny Patchen from Miami Beach. They enjoyed the fruits from their half a dozen or so citrus trees for years. That all came to an end in 2000 when the state, without warning, chopped their trees down to stumps, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
The homeowners listed in the suit say they were wronged by the state. They claim during the height of the war on citrus canker, between 2000 and 2006, the state cut down approximately 250,000 of their citrus trees. If they win, they could be eligible for more than $120 million in damages.
Florida officials maintain that the private property takings served a greater public interest, and that those who lost their citrus trees were already compensated under statewide settlements.
Miami-Dade residents are only the latest to take their class-action case to court. Others who lost hundreds of thousands of citrus trees to the state's eradication program have already won multimillion-dollar jury awards for their losses in Broward, Palm Beach, Orange and Lee counties.
CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed to this report.
