Pinellas County commissioner wants to remove tree removal permit requirement 

Pinellas County considers changing tree removal rules

Pinellas County has changes to the county tree ordinances on the docket for the next county commissioners meeting. FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky reports.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Pinellas County has been working on changes to their tree regulations for months now. 

The goal is to simplify the code to allow homeowners to better understand what is and isn't allowed when it comes to planting and removing trees in your Pinellas County yard.

What they're saying:

Now, Commissioner Chris Scherer is hoping to take things further and consider getting rid of the permitting requirement to remove a tree from your own yard.

"I am of the opinion that requiring a homeowner to come hat in hand and ask the government for a permit to remove a tree in their backyard is just ridiculous," Scherer said. "It's government overreach."

As of Thursday's work session, this was not a part of the updates to the tree ordinances.

It did get support from another commissioner: Kathleen Peters.

"I'm siding with Commissioner Sheeran here. So, are you telling me that if my palm tree had top rot and the whole head of the palm tree fell off, I'd have to get a permit to take that palm tree down, and then I'd replace it if I don't want it anymore?" Peters said.

Florida Law 163.045 already allows homeowners to remove trees without a permit if they can get an arborist to state the tree poses a risk to people or property.

READ MORE: Hillsborough County working to build arborist workforce — why it’s important

County Updates:

On top of these newly proposed changes, the county is already ready to pass changes to reduce the burden on homeowners when it comes to tree requirements.

"Within landscape requirements, we've put a cap, which previously wasn't in place depending on the size of the lot as to how many trees would be required," Kevin McAndrew, the director of building & development review services for Pinellas County, said. "We've given greater flexibility to the type of trees that can be planted rather than needing to be one specific type of shade tree."

On top of this, homeowners can get credit for existing trees on their property, allowing them to plant fewer trees in certain situations.

By the numbers:

The proposed ordinance notes there is a maximum of 15 required trees per lot. If a homeowner wants to remove a tree and not replant it, the proposed change makes it a flat fee of $50 for a single family home.

"Previously, we've used the market rate of planting a tree," McAndrew said. "Since I've been here, that number has almost doubled. So it was like $279 four years ago, now it's like $479."

This change is estimated to cost the Tree Bank fund and reduce revenue by 60% from an estimated $300,000 to $120,000.

What's next:

More information about the upcoming meeting, including the agenda with accompanying documents, can be found here.

You can view the full Pinellas County Commissioners Works Session here.