Pinellas County residents who remove an average-sized tree from their yard must no longer plant 15 others or pay over $7,000, solving what some commissioners believe is a “property rights issue.”
County commissioners unanimously passed several ordinance amendments related to tree removal, protection and planting Tuesday. The goal was to mitigate overly burdensome regulations and simplify a complex – and costly – process that often resulted in disputes or unpermitted home improvements.
Pinellas administrators initially proposed requiring residents who remove a tree with a diameter between 14 and 24 inches to plant four others or contribute $1,200 to a related fund. Commissioner Chris Scherer led the charge to remove those regulations…