The Brief
- A South Tampa couple is fighting to keep three queen palm trees TECO says must be removed near power lines.
- Alex and Donna Gem say the trees hold decades of family history and believe the utility should replace insulated wire instead.
- Tampa Electric says trees are a leading cause of outages and safety hazards, especially during severe weather, and removal is necessary.
TAMPA, Fla. – A disagreement over three palm trees in South Tampa turned into a larger fight between homeowners and Tampa Electric.
Alex and Donna Gem say the queen palms in front of their West Rogers Avenue home are more than landscaping; they represent more than 40 years of memories.
But Tampa Electric says the trees pose a risk to power reliability and neighborhood safety and need to come down.
The backstory:…