A resident is sounding the alarm about the protection of historic trees in The Villages.
Kirven Talone of the Village of Orange Blossom Gardens took her concerns Wednesday morning before the Amenity Authority Committee.
“Too many trees are being cut down by residents who are ill-equipped to deal with trees on their small property,” Talone said.
She said that “The Villages protects us from ugly mailboxes,” but doesn’t protect the trees that offer beauty, clean the air and provide valuable tree canopy.
She said trees are being cut down because they are too much work for residents.
“Our cute little Villages is starting to look like an Army barracks,” she said.
She pointed to a 2019 law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that blocked local governments from restricting the removal of trees from private homes. Prior to the enactment of this law, Villagers were required to go before the Architectural Review Committee to seek permission to cut down a tree. If they received permission, the homeowners were frequently required to replace the tree.
“The law makes it too easy to cut down trees now,” Talone said.
She pointed to her own neighborhood where six of 11 old-growth trees have been cut down since the governor singed the measure into law.
She suggested the best way to save the trees would be to have a volunteer effort to help residents, particularly the aging, care for the trees.
“My vision is to help people with their trees,” she said. “These trees are a lot of day-to-day effort.”
The AAC took the item under advisement and suggested there may be a way to pursue the idea through resident lifestyle clubs.