Heat exposure is one of the biggest dangers facing Florida workers today, and they need shade for safety!  But the University of Florida ("UF") is planning to cut down ~30 large, healthy trees vital for sun protection for some of the most heat-stressed employees on campus, including those who handle hazardous waste in a warehouse without air conditioning.  The public has been kept in the dark regarding the plan, being barred from Zoom meetings which discussed the Project, and nearly all of the workers, researchers, students, and faculty in this area were not informed about these tree removals before the design decision was made.  Besides the lack of transparency, the supposed purpose of the Project is to construct water retention ponds to "alleviate" water storage concerns in a naturally wet part of campus (called the "Surge Area" for a reason), and it is not clear that this proposal will do much to fix that.  Regardless, trying to solve one problem while creating several more at the expense of the environment and vulnerable workers is not a solution, so we, the undersigned, demand that UF:

1. Stop all plans to proceed with "Project MP07942" which seeks to remove dozens of large, healthy, shade-giving trees in the Surge Area of UF campus, and rescind all approvals received so far;
2. Consult with ALL stakeholders, including workers and researchers, affected by the Project about their needs and wants for the area;
3. Hire an Arborist for UF campus, as has been recommended multiple times by internal UF committees, to review campus environmental needs and to provide input for this and all future projects;
4. Review and revise the Project, such that tree protection and shade are prioritized, and that the full value of trees as habitat and flooding safeguards is incorporated;
5. Investigate and hold accountable those responsible for withholding information from the public and other possible violations of Florida's Sunshine Law (which protects the public's right to know the actions of their government), and invalidate all UF committee decisions over the last year found to be in violation.

Alternative designs exist which could benefit everyone, including the environment, and we are simply asking UF to include all voices and ideas in such important Project decision making before irrevocable harm is done. 

Let's Keep Gators Cool, and protect beneficial trees!

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Background:

Beginning July 3rd, 2025, the University of Florida Lakes, Vegetation, and Landscaping Committee held a secretive meeting right before the holiday without posting the agenda online beforehand, refusing to make the Zoom link available to the public, despite voting members attending virtually.  That belated agenda requested the removal of more than 100 trees on campus, nearly all of which were "approved" through this non-transparent manner.  The last item, "Project MP07942" which was continued during an equally-non-transparent "continuation" of the meeting on July 17th, 2025, sought the removal of 30 huge and healthy trees, five of which are large enough to be considered "heritage," and many of which are vital to the everyday life of workers in the Surge Area in the southwest part of campus in Gainesville, FL.

As the name implies, the "Surge Area" lies largely within a floodplain, which makes the area naturally wet after heavy rains, but not generally dangerous to people.  This swamp and forested area is what makes the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory ("NATL"), adjacent to many of those buildings, a wonderful place to learn about Florida ecosystems.  In 2024, two small, old buildings were removed in the southwest part of the Surge area, and that space is now being used to make way for more retention ponds, which are contemplated with this Project, bulkily-named as "MP07942 – Health Center Surge #4 Flooding Issues."  

However, another building in the Surge Area, the Nuclear Field Building (Building #0554) along Natural Area Drive, was chosen to be renovated instead of demolished to house new offices for Environmental Health and Safety ("EH&S") administrators, despite that department having several of their own buildings already.  The one-story brick building was originally built at ground level, and perhaps as an oversight or due to cost issues, recent renovations did not include elevating the foundation.

Instead, original renovation plan designs back in mid-2023 called for minimal tree removal, consisting of ~7 trees, which were approved by the LVL Committee in June 2023.  But once renovations began, those myopic designs led to yet another round of requests for tree removals in December 2024, this time to create even more trenches and piping around the building, bringing the total tree removal count into the double digits, and still not fixing the fundamental "problem" of building in or near a flood zone.

Besides the recently "approved" tree removals, since 2020, it is believe that 10 or more large, healthy, regulated trees have been removed in the Surge Area without public notice nor approval from the appropriate committees, and this lack of transparency has resulted in fewer tree mitigation dollars for UF (money which could go back into beautification projects), a hotter and more dangerous area to work and drive (including from flooding because trees regulate water flow), and a less healthy habitat overall for NATL, the Surge Area, and UF.

As stated in the presentation now available online (starting pg. 45), the plan seeks to protect "infrastructure and vehicles" but does not consider the people who will be most affected by these changes and what puts them most at risk, including the blinding Florida sun.  UF did not even seek input let alone inform the workers in the existing Surge Area buildings before coming up with the design and getting approval from the LVL Committee.  These students, researchers, and staff work with and even transport many hazardous chemicals, and the tree loss contemplated here would potentially endanger those activities if the tree canopy currently protecting them is removed.  

It is unclear what next steps UF and project managers will seek with this project, but it may include going before other internal UF committees and likely applying for state permits.  But unless people speak out, UF appears unwilling to make the serious changes necessary to prevent this Project from causing lots of harm.

UF campus deserves better, and UF needs to be smarter about where and how it builds.  Please sign this Petition, and support UF workers, transparency, and the environment!  Thank you.