Holmes Beach treehouse has to come down.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A Florida couple will have to take down their beachfront treehouse after the Supreme Court declined to get involved in a dispute over it.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take the case brought by Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen, who live on Anna Maria Island on Florida’s west coast. The couple built a two-story treehouse on their Holmes Beach property in 2011 after being told they didn’t need a permit.

But after an anonymous complaint to the city about the structure, officials investigated and found the couple did need to go through the permitting process. It turns out the treehouse was located in an area where building is prohibited because of a city setback. The couple tried to take the fight to voters but courts stopped them.

Tran and Hazen built a Florida beachfront treehouse that would be the envy of any child. It’s got two levels, hammocks and windows looking out on the Gulf of Mexico.

But the hangout has cost the couple a handsome sum: about $30,000 to construct and probably five times that in legal fees as they’ve fought local authorities over it, Tran said.