Safety Harbor commissioners scheduled to vote on tree removal moratorium

By Laurie Davison, Reporter Last Updated: Monday, October 20, 2014, 5:03 PM SAFETY HARBOR --

Safety Harbor city commissioners are scheduled to vote on a moratorium on tree removal during their meeting Monday night.

The moratorium would prevent people from removing certain trees while the city works on drafting a new tree ordinance.

The proposed ban comes after more than a dozen large trees were removed from private property at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa to make way for a parking lot.

The city's current tree ordinance only protects trees of a certain size.

Specifics of the moratorium are still being discussed but city officials said it would not affect tree removal applications that have already been approved and it would not prevent the removal of trees that are dead or diseased.

If approved, the moratorium would expire April 1 unless a new tree ordinance is passed sooner.

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Safety Harbor commissioners scheduled to vote on tree removal moratorium