A lush Hamptons town has demolished a millionaire homeowner’s private pad after he waged a legal battle to protect the sand dune that lay beneath it.
The city of East Hampton demolished the wooden structure that connected 88 South Emerson Avenue in Montauk to the beach after obtaining a court order to do so.
Lawyers for the city argued that the property’s owner, Myfour Realty, a limited liability company controlled by Roy Tuccillo Sr., built the walkway without a permit after an environmental agency cleared an access road.
In a drastic move, the glitzy New York hamlet took their case to the Suffolk County Supreme Court and was ordered to demolish the wooden structure he built after claiming they issued multiple warnings to Tuccillo.
‘In the three years I’ve been here, we’ve never demolished anything. That’s unusual. Normally at some point we get compliance,” Kevin Cooper, the city’s code enforcement director, told me The East Hampton Star.
The city of East Hampton destroyed the wooden structure that connected the $2 million home (pictured) at 88 South Emerson Avenue, owned by Roy Tuccillo Sr., to the beach
“They made a path for him,” Cooper said. “He ignored it and did his own thing.”
Tuccillo built the sturdy walkway at his nearly $2 million beachfront mansion after the federal Army Corps of Engineers built a sandy path with beach grass along the dune as part of the beach nourishment project from Fire Island to Montauk Point.
Only the city, county, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps are allowed to make changes to the dune.
“We have made every effort to work with the property owner to resolve this matter amicably,” City Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said.
“However, the integrity of our dunes is critical to the safety of our community and the health of the environment. We will not hesitate to enforce our laws to ensure the well-being of our residents and the protection of our coastline.”
Cooper said Marine Patrol caught Tuccillo building the walkway and he told them he had permission. By the time the city learned of his project, it had already been built.
The city obtained an injunction from the Suffolk County Supreme Court to demolish the walkway after Tuccillo constructed it without a permit and ignored their orders.
This prompted the city to go to the Suffolk County Supreme Court to obtain an injunction granting the city government permission to issue a resolution to demolish the structure.
“The council’s resolution and the easement itself give the council the authority to take action,” council attorney Robert Connelly told me. Life and Politics on Long Island.
‘The municipality has proceeded with the removal of the illegal structure in order to comply with the conditions set out in the easement agreement. This is essential to maintain the effectiveness of the city’s storm damage mitigation measures.’
The beach nourishment project is aimed at maintaining healthy dunes and combating erosion.
“Preserving our dunes and beach systems is critical to protecting Montauk’s coastline from erosion and storm damage,” said City Councilman David Lys.
“The easement plays a critical role in these efforts, and any unauthorized construction compromises its function. The city’s action is a necessary step to safeguard our natural resources.”
DailyMail.com contacted Tuccillo for comment.
Tuccillo built the structure after a certified environmental agency cleared an access road along the dune with beach grass
Tuccillo has a track record of ignoring city orders and even previous run-ins with the law.
Property records show Tuccillo purchased the beachfront property in 2014 for $1.2 million.
In February 2022, the homeowner was caught building retaining walls, a first-floor addition, a second-floor addition and a second-floor deck without a permit, according to records obtained by The Star.
On three separate occasions he was found to have violated a work ban and on one occasion he refused to identify himself to authorities after being caught by city enforcement.
In 2019, Tuccillo and his son Roy Tuccillo Jr. pleaded guilty. guilty of federal fraud charges for mislabeling giant squid from Peru as octopus and selling them to supermarkets across the country.