Jan Bassett remembers the oak next door as “a big, beautiful oak tree” that a friend planted 25 or 30 years ago in Boca Raton’s Spanish Village neighborhood. According to WFLX and WPTV, which carried the same Oct. 13, 2026 report, Bassett says the developer first told neighbors the tree would stay, then crews cut it down.
The company’s answer is that crews found termites and several structurally damaged major branches once work was under way. That explanation comes from Jared Niles, a real estate broker for Alpha Premium Development, as reported in the station’s coverage, and it has not been independently confirmed.
A Friend Planted It 25 or 30 Years Ago
Bassett lives next door to the construction site. She told WPTV that “in the beginning they said they weren’t gonna tear it down,” and that the crew came in the week before her interview and removed it.
Neighbors say the large, modern homes going up now do not match that Spanish-style character. The same report said that some residents also feel stuck because developer offers are not enough to buy another home elsewhere…