NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Sasha Bartunek tries not to miss a meeting when it involves protecting Pasco County’s environment.
And among the many concerns on her list, preserving the trees.
“The tree situation is really tragic in Pasco County. Many people move here because of the beauty and aesthetics,” said Bartunek, the conservation chair with the Suncoast Sierra Club.
WATCH: Talks underway for new ordinance to protect Pasco trees from developers
Pasco County has grown in the last decade with thousands of new homes and other developments.
But that means clearing thousands of acres of land.
Clearing land often involves a practice known as clear-cutting, where a landscape is completely devoid of standing trees.
“Clear-cutting does not replace an ecosystem. An ecosystem is centuries and centuries old. A way that the environment supports not just humans but life,” said Bartunek.
Pasco County’s Planning Commission is looking at updating the almost 20-year-old ordinance in place to preserve trees.
Under current rules, developers can remove trees at a cost.
But some say it’s not enough to discourage them from doing it.
“There’s something about all the trees they are taking down that hurts your soul,” said East Pasco resident Nancy Hazelwood.
Hazelwood says she is worried her rural surroundings will disappear.
“I see it coming toward Blanton and northeast rural Pasco like a steamroller. It has not hit us yet.”
The planning commission is looking at increasing fees for tree removal and creating incentives for developers to preserve trees.
“Strip malls and car washes and things like that, it’s just some of the development, I’m not going to name any names, but some of them are just really ugly,” said Bartunek.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
