Guidelines

I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following :








Friday, March 25, 2022

First 8 Palm Trees for Relocation or Removal Have Been Marked on Perdido Key

Florida Power and Light (FP&L) has sent out their arborist and they have subsequently marked the first 8 trees that need to be either re-located or removed due to these trees' entanglement with FP&L's lines.

These particular trees are located at the Sundown North condominium complex.

After my blog posts and subsequent media and social media coverage of the initial plan to clear as many as 70 palm trees from Perdido Key---FP&L sharpened their pencils, re-looked at the initial list, then cut it down to 27 trees that needed to go.  Management of this particular condominium HOA group, Sundown, then expressed an emphatic desire to relocate these 8 trees to different areas on their property, away from the lines.



Upon hearing this, I spoke with FP&L and they moved quickly to get this particual HOA's trees marked.

Late yesterday, however, this HOA expressed some concerns about the costs of relocation of these trees--which came as somewhat of a surprise.
 
"[a consulted tree vendor] said that it would not be cost effective to relocate them" was what I heard back.


So I attempted to speak with that HOA group again today without luck.

If they don't want to move the trees, I will have county personnel develop a plan to retrieve them and replant them at county property where appropriate.

One way or another, my aim is to save and relocte the trees.

If the HOA's want them--they'll get first crack.

If they don't want them, I'll request the county move them.

If the county can't--then the remaining trees will no doubt be cut down.

I'm hoping it doesn't come to that.





1 comment:

Melissa Pino said...

Thank you for developing a plan on the fly to save these trees, Commissioner Bergosh. Not that you should have had to.

It cannot be said enough that it is the height of absurdity that FPL is cutting down trees for above ground wires on a barrier island where they should be buried. If this County doesn't start pushing for that hard, we will stay right at the bottom of the heap where FPL has already made clear in public remarks they consider us. When pressured, the answer at the City Council basically came down to "get in line." If that's what we're going to content ourselves with, that's exactly what we're going to get.