Man ordered to remove 72-ft boat from yard

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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 5 (UPI) -- A California man who has spent the past six years restoring a 72-foot ship in his yard said the city is ordering him to get rid of the boat.

Dennis Holland, who has been restoring the Shawnee, a 1916 ketch, at his Newport Beach home, said city officials obtained a court injunction giving him until April 30 to get rid of the vessel, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Deputy City Attorney Kyle Rowen said Holland faces fines of up to $1,000 per day or possible jail time if he does not comply with the injunction, which was issued Thursday by Superior Court Judge Gregory Munoz.

Holland is accused of not abiding by an ordinance requiring him to obtain a permit. He said officials would not grant him a permit because he could not give them an estimated date of completion.

"Mr. Holland has been in violation of city laws for many years and has had ample opportunity to move the boat to a suitable location," City Attorney Aaron Harp wrote in an email Friday. "The city is hopeful that Mr. Holland will comply with the court order and move the boat to a suitable location that is consistent with applicable laws."

Holland said the ordinance he is accused of violating was passed in 2009 and he did not break any laws when he originally began the project.

"I can't move the boat," Holland said Friday. "The city's going to have to come in and destroy it. I don't have the heart to."