ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County is considering updates to its tree ordinance that would strengthen protections for trees, especially specimen trees, and raise fees for developers who remove trees during construction.
The proposed changes simplify how the county defines and measures “specimen trees,” which are trees deemed especially valuable or rare.
Developers would face higher costs for cutting down trees that cannot be replaced. The current fee of $25 per inch of removed tree would increase to $100 per inch. This fee is paid into a “tree bank” fund, which supports tree replacement and preservation efforts.
Mike Roberson, director of Growth Management, explained the changes in detail.
“The tree ordinance is part of our land development code regulations, specifically focused on tree preservation,” Roberson said. “The Board of County Commissioners worked hard to come to a consensus on a few key items, including increasing the cost for protected trees. If a developer has to remove a tree and can’t replant it, they would pay into the tree bank fund.”
Roberson clarified that the fee increase from $25 to $100 per inch applies mainly to residential developments and larger projects, not individual homeowners.
“It’s more for developments where large areas are cleared and trees can’t be replaced on site,” he said.
The ordinance also raises upland preservation requirements for larger projects.
“For sites over 40 acres, the upland preservation requirement doubles from 5% to 10%. For smaller sites, the requirements will also change, but not necessarily to 10%,” Roberson said. “This preservation is about protecting natural upland areas, which may include trees but isn’t limited to them.”
The update also modifies how specimen trees are measured and defined.
“Specimen trees are large, valuable trees that can’t be removed regardless of development,” Roberson said. “We’ve updated the way we measure them to align with state standards and make it easier for developers and the county. We measure the diameter at breast height and compare it to a table to determine if a tree qualifies as a specimen tree.”
Joe Willard, owner of local tree removal service Tree Pros, said developers are aware of the rules.
“They know on their site plans what trees can and cannot come out,” Willard said. “While some trees must be removed to build, developers typically preserve trees around the site’s perimeter and plant new ones to replace those lost.”
The county will hold a final hearing on the proposed ordinance updates on August 5, 2025, when the Board of County Commissioners will decide whether to adopt the changes.
