Weston, FL Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

Section 1.01 defines TREE, SPECIMEN by size and health rather than species: an 18-inch DBH or greater trunk with a plant-appraisal condition rating of 60% or higher, excluding cultivated non-native fruit trees, most non-native Ficus species, all multi-trunk palms, and trees the City finds to be in poor condition or form. A permit to remove or relocate any tree, specimen or not, requires the City to first find no feasible alternative and that one of the conditions in § 122.04(A) applies. Relocating a specimen tree carries an added requirement: the permit holder must post a Tree Bond with the City, held for one year, equal to twice the tree's published wholesale trade price, to guarantee replacement if the relocation fails or the tree is damaged during development (§ 122.20(B)).

A registered landscape architect or certified arborist must certify the tree's condition a year after relocation before the bond is released, and a tree that dies or declines within that year must be replaced within 60 days, restarting the monitoring clock (§ 122.20(C)). If the City decides a removed specimen tree cannot be feasibly relocated, § 122.21(B) requires either payment into the Weston Tree Trust Fund, valued under 'The Guide for Plant Appraisal,' or replacement with Florida Grade No. 1 trees no smaller in diameter than the tree removed, at least half of them native species. Unlike ordinary nuisance trees, specimen tree removal is never exempt from the replacement contribution requirement of § 122.22.