We must act now to protect fruit trees from being cut down in Pinellas County, FL.  Currently, only a few oak and shade trees are protected by the permit process, and no fruit trees (no matter what size or age) are protected.  Even giant, healthy mango trees decades old are being chopped down with no regard to their size or what they provide to the community.

Fruit tree demolitions are currently happening at an alarming rate in Pinellas county, especially in poorer, gentrifying neighborhoods of our cities where properties are being flipped, and the community has no voice or say in the matter.

At this time, contractors do not need to acquire a permit in order to cut down any fruit trees, which means they often cut them down excessively during new build projects. If we act now, the fruit trees on these new builds and renovations may be able to be preserved and maintained alongside the growth of our cities.

Most fruit trees take at least 5-10 years to begin to produce fruit. A fully mature mango tree can take up to 15 years to produce a sizable amount of fruit, but once fully mature, can produce up to 400 pounds of mangos per season.  Not only is the fruit produced delicious, it provides free food in communities struggling with rising food costs and food shortages.

In addition, heat map studies of affluent vs impoverished neighborhoods show that poorer neighborhoods, which often have fewer mature trees, hold more heat in the streets that radiates to the surrounding homes.  Even replanting efforts to replace trees of a certain size does not account for the time needed for trees to reach maturity for both shade and fruit production.

Fruit trees increase the value of the property and  provide food, shade, and compost for all members of our community.  Some fruit trees are only able to be grown in southern regions of the nation, making them especially valuable resources.  We need to give fruit trees the same protections as other large, ancient trees in Pinellas county. 

A list of fruit trees that should be given the same protections as oaks and other protected trees are:

Mangos

Lychees 

Coconuts

Sapodilla

Longan

Loquat

All Citrus (unless affected by greening)

Jackfruit

Avocados

Date Palms

Guava

Mamay Sapote

Chirimoya 

Soursop 

Egg fruit (Canistel)

Tamarind

Star Fruit (Carambola)

Take action today! On behalf of our few remaining local fruit trees, please sign this petition to tell both our city and county councils to change their ordinances to align protections for fruit trees of a certain size with currently protected trees.