- June 6, 2026
Dear Editor:
About two or three weeks ago I was driving east on Palm Coast Parkway and upon approaching the Palm Coast Ford dealership I immediately felt somewhat lost as it was so bright in an area that is normally shaded. At that point I realized that all 10 of the perimeter buffer oak trees had been completely removed from the front landscape buffer!
The stumps had already been ground down to the ground as evidenced by the sawdust where the trees were. Upon calling the city urban forester to notify her of this removal, she said they had already received some complaints and were aware of it and no permit had been issued for the removals.
This removal was particularly maddening to me as prior to my retirement as the landscape architect of the city, the urban forester and myself investigated a previous tree removal violation on the same property which was mitigated with the planting of several new trees. The dealership was aware at that point that removal of any tree without a permit on commercially zoned property was a violation of Section 11.02.05, A, 1 of the Land Development Code.
The people at the dealership absolutely knew when they cut down these 10 oaks that they could not do what they did without a permit. Mitigation is required for such violation under Section 11.04.02, A, which states in part, “... the total diameter inches of the protected trees removed shall be replaced with a minimum tree size of six-inch caliper.”
Those trees were at least 24 inches or more in diameter so I hope the city makes them pay for this and replace them back in the buffer. The arborist said she would keep me updated on the violation proceedings but as of yet, I have not heard from her. The city needs to make an example of this blatant violation of our tree code so others do not think they can get away with doing similar removals on their properties.
By the way, the Chrysler dealer on SR 100 has also violated our ordinance by “lion-tailing” their trees in their front landscape buffer. This type of tree destruction and disfigurement must be stopped!
Bill Butler
Palm Coast
Editor's note: The city of Palm Coast responded to the above letter:
Palm Coast Ford was cited by the city of Palm Coast on May 11, 2026, for violations related to the unauthorized removal of trees and Palm Coast Parkway Overlay Zone requirements. City staff has met with the property owner, and a mitigation plan is being developed to restore compliance with the city's Land Development Code. The matter remains an active code enforcement case.
