“Ask Anthony: Solutions Found for Jacksonville Woman After Tree Destroys Home”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman is devastated after a massive tree crashed onto a home she spent months renovating for her mother. She says the most painful part isn’t the damage, but the silence from the people she believes are responsible. She contacted the Ask Anthony team for help. 

“This is my nightmare,” Letecia Newman said while showing Anthony Austin the damage.

Newman, a self-employed business owner, had poured tens of thousands of dollars and endless hours into fixing up a small house for her mom. It was supposed to be a place of healing, comfort, and peace.

“I just don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know where to go from here,” she said.

But in the early morning hours of July 7, a neighbor’s tree came crashing down, destroying much of what she’d built.

“I woke up at 5 a.m. to a tree falling on the house,” Newman said.

The tree, according to Newman, didn’t come from her yard. It came from next door.

“This right here goes to the home that’s over on the other side. It’s like a gray house,” she said.

Inside the home, nearly every room showed signs of recent work. Fresh paint, new lighting, and tile.

“This was just painted. It was new lighting. This was about to be tile going into the bathroom area,” Newman said.

While the structural damage is serious, Newman says what’s most frustrating is the inability to reach the property owners.

“No one being at the home at all. Looking like it’s totally vacant. I’ve attempted to find the owners of the actual property,” she said.

Anthony Austin went to the house and no one was there either. So he dug into state and county property records from his kitchen table. After some searching, he found a cell phone number connected to the property. He called and someone picked up.

The property owner said they were unaware of the fallen tree and they were willing to work toward resolving the issue.

This type of situation is unfortunately common, according to Mark D’Amico, a public adjuster who’s helped hundreds of Florida homeowners navigate complicated insurance claims.

D’Amico says the legal responsibility for a fallen tree depends on one thing: whether the tree was clearly dangerous before it fell.

“The challenge is when it’s a tree like this, is to prove that there was some sort of negligence on the other party,” he said.

In Florida, if a tree falls due to natural causes like a storm, and it was otherwise healthy, it’s usually considered an “act of God,” and the neighbor may not be held liable. But if the tree was rotting or obviously unstable, and the owner failed to act, then they could be responsible.

“Your homeowner’s insurance should pay for that damage… and if they choose, they can go after your neighbor’s insurance policy,” D’Amico said.

Newman has already reached out to her insurance company. But she says no amount of money can undo the emotional toll this experience has taken.

“I put a lot of effort into this… and it’s like I have to start over. But, I don’t how where to begin to start over,” she said.

If you’re worried about a neighbor’s tree posing a risk to your property, here are a few steps you can take now — before it becomes your problem:

• Document it: Take photos of anything concerning — dead limbs, leaning trunks, visible rot, or root damage.

• Speak up: Talk to your neighbor and express your concern.

• Follow up: If the issue isn’t addressed, send a certified letter. That paper trail could be critical later.

• Get expert input: Hire an arborist to evaluate the tree and notify your insurance company of the potential risk.