(PENSACOLA) --- A removal fee for protected trees has been increased here by nearly 400 percent.
A proposed discussion on a land development code update turned into a lengthy discussion about trees at the Pensacola Planning Board's June 9 meeting.
The meeting agenda listed 675 Centros St. for aesthetic review, but Board Member Paul Ritz withdrew it, calling up item #3, 1005 W. Lloyd Street, for discussion.
The request for the Zoning and Future Land Use Map (FLUM) amendment for the location was announced by Assistant Planning & Zoning Division Manager Greg Harding, who explained Duet Development, LLC's request to change from Low-Density Residential (LDR) to Medium-Density Residential (MDR).
(Photo: Pensacola Planning Board meeting presentation slide)
The approval allows Duet Development LLC to subdivide the property into five new lots measuring 30' wide for single-family residences.
"We are not talking about any allowed commercial uses," Harding said.
But it was not commercial use that concerned resident Renee Borden; it was the trees destroyed during construction.
(Photo: Resident Renee Borden confronts Pensacola Planning Board members on excessive tree removal here)
"I think the previous application for density is a perfect example of this," Borden said. "We're adding density in the city; we're eliminating those trees along the way. "
The OpGov.News platform summary reports Borden's frustration with the difficulty of accessing specific permit information online, which did not stop her from compiling her own tree-removal
statistics.
(Photo: OpGov.News platform Key Takeaways regarding protected tree removal, land use development code)
"We had 18 removals paid into the tree fund in 2024; there were 13 in 2023," Borden said.
The resident used her neighborhood to further her point.
"So from my front porch, I currently have three completely cleared lots, all of them owned by builders, and currently they're cleared of all vegetation," Borden said. "Not a tree, not a shrub, there is nothing left on these lots."
Borden jumped to the next agenda item, asking, "When you're looking for future development in that land development code, how can we ensure that we're not completely wiping out those very large public assets?"
Ritz's answer.
"What I suggest to anyone who comes forward is that you definitely petition your city council person," Ritz said, confirming that the upcoming discussion on the LDC did not include a protective tree ordinance.
However, there is power in numbers when it comes to future changes to a tree ordinance, according to the board member.
"I can almost guarantee that if 50 people showed up at a city council meeting to say, We want to see a change,' that would start something to happen," Ritz said.
Kyle Stadium, a certified arborist, raised the tree mitigation fee schedule increase from $400 to $1,500, arguing that it is unfair to homeowners who must remove hazardous trees from their property.
"My main concern with this is we work with a lot of people who own these properties for 50 years, and these trees are a hazard to their property," Stadium said. "They're lifting their house off of the foundation."
(Photo: Pensacola Planning Board meeting June 9 meeting)
Officials pointed to state law that prevents cities from challenging a certified arborist's tree risk assessment.
"To change legislation is a lot of work," Ritz said.
Officials also discussed the difference between tree removal on residential and commercial property.
Board Member Jordan Yee said he "would like to see the city find a way to acknowledge that in the code."
The arborist pointed out that, while he cares deeply about trees, they sometimes have to be removed. Ultimately, Stadium said the fee increase could "result in a net loss of urban canopy and city revenue from the tree fund."
"If we remove five trees and we're doing $1,500 per tree, we're passing that cost on to the homeowner who just needs these to make their house safe," Stadium said, adding that increased property tax makes it worse.
"Everything else is already hitting them pretty hard," Stadium said.
(Photo: Arborist Kyle Stadium tells officials tree removal increase is too high, specifically for residential property owners)
Though Stadium noted the increase is "gouging," Ritz said it is not.
"The 1,500 is in line with what it would cost the city to plant a tree," Ritz said, adding the final number is not arbitrary.
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