Monroe County, FL Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Section 114-104 of the Land Development Code requires every street front to be planted with native canopy street tree species drawn from the list in Section 114-105, installed within the primary and secondary front yard setback established under Section 131-1. Gumbo limbo and every palm species are specifically disqualified as street trees, and any tree planted cannot interfere with utilities or pavement. The planting rate is set at a minimum of one canopy tree at least 12 feet tall, or with a trunk caliper of at least three inches measured six inches above grade, for every 100 feet of street length, with a floor of at least one street tree required for every parcel no matter how short its frontage.

Canopy species listed as Threatened, Endangered, or Regionally Important in Section 114-105 also qualify as street trees once they reach a minimum height of eight feet. Native canopy trees already installed to satisfy the parking-lot landscaping standard in Section 114-100 or the bufferyard standard in Section 114-124 can count toward the street tree requirement, and existing native vegetation that is preserved on site takes priority and can satisfy the requirement outright rather than requiring new planting. The obligation attaches as a condition of any development permit issued for a change of use, expansion, addition, or redevelopment, meaning an existing property that redevelops has to bring its street frontage into compliance even if it was never required to plant street trees when first built.