Weston, FL Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Section 123.18, the Plant Standards section of Weston's landscape code, sets a hard prohibited-species list at 123.18(J): 'The following plant species shall not be used.' The 21-species list, identified by both botanical and common name, includes well-documented South Florida invasives such as Casuarina trees (Australian pine), Melaleuca quinquenervia (punk tree or paper bark), Schinus terebinthifolius (Brazilian pepper or Florida holly), and Cupaniopsis anacardioides (carrotwood), along with earleaf acacia, lebbeck, Norfolk Island pine, shoebutton ardisia, schefflera, rosewood, silk oak, mahoe, lead tree, poisonwood, pongam, downy rose myrtle, Java plum, tropical almond, black olive, and weeping bottlebrush.

Because the prohibition sits in the Plant Standards section, it applies to landscape plans submitted for a certificate of occupancy across the city, not to any single zoning district. The Code reinforces the ban with a removal duty: a related subsection of the Installation Standards requires that invasive, exotic pest plants be removed from a site before final landscape inspection, so an existing banned species discovered during inspection cannot simply be left in place. Notably, Weston's mulch standard takes a different approach to some of the same plants: it encourages using mulch made from Melaleuca or Eucalyptus material specifically to reduce those species' spread and preserve native plant communities, even though the living plants themselves are barred from new landscaping.

Landscape plans and specifications must be reviewed for compliance before installation, and a pre-installation inspection with the landscape contractor is required to confirm site conditions and material selection.