WINDERMERE, Fla — A fight over trees in a neighborhood near Windermere has some residents wondering what it will take to remove them.
It’s not because they don’t like them or want them, but because they are tearing up the roads.
The county says they need to fins a different solution.
Mike Stewart has live in Keene’s Pointe for decades. Part of the draw is the beauty, and that includes the trees.
But those trees are also causing cracks in the sidewalks and roads.
"The damaging of the properties, I mean, that’s the other impact no one’s really talking about, but the cost to residents is immense," he said.
Stewart is not only a resident. He’s also president of the homeowners association. He says they have about 4,000 trees and they want to remove 130.
“We applied for a tree permit, and like i said, for 130 tree removal, and they denied all 130 trees,“ he said.
He said the denials came after a professional arbiter team sent by the county determined the trees were healthy.
“To me, they essentially ignored all of the damage that was being done to the community, but their stance was they’re healthy trees. They should stay,” he said.
Stewart said the community has already paid $3 million on these repairs.
The neighborhood is divided on if the trees should stay or go. Stewart admitted that some here don’t want to see them pulled up.
But their opinions aren’t really a factor, at least for now. That’s because a county ordinance doesn’t allow for just anyone to remove a perfectly health tree. It has to meet certain criteria that the county said these trees do not.
A letter from the county Stewart shared says, “Trees in urban environments come with both pros and cons that require consistent maintenance so we can continue to enjoy the ecosystem services mature trees provide to our communities. Understandably, these cons can come with challengers such as raised sidewalks, road upheaval and damage to utilities.”
But the arborist said, “I implore you and your community to please explore other remedies that require thinking outside the box.”
But they say they are looking at other options, and they all come with their own challenges.
Commissioner Nicole Wilson said she and her staff have been out to check twice since October but said she cannot waive the ordinance. She said they rely on the arborists to make the determinations, and she trust their expertise.
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