Naples council OKs nearly $600K to plant 384 new trees, palms

After Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on Naples' trees two years ago, the city is continuing its push to replace the hundreds of trees lost to the storm.

Naples city councilors on Wednesday unanimously approved a $597,000 contract for a landscaping company to plant 384 new trees and palms. City staff estimates the contractor will begin planting trees next month and will take 75 days to complete the project.

The trees include live oaks, mahogany trees, slash pines, rusty figs and royal palms and coconut palms, among others.

Mayor Bill Barnett said Naples has been a "Tree City" — a designation granted by the Arbor Day Foundation — for as long as he can remember. Citizens appreciate the city's commitment to landscaping, Barnett said.

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"After Irma when we lost all those trees, now we're trying to get back to where we were," he said.

About a third of the trees will be planted on stretches of Third Street North, Third Street South and Ninth Street South, according to city documents. And 60 more are proposed for portions of 14th Street North and Rum Row.

• An estimated 53 coconut palms will be planted on Third Street South, from Central Avenue to 18th Avenue South.
• An estimated 37 coconut palms are slated for Third Street North, between Central Avenue and South Golf Drive.
• An estimated 27 royal palms will be planted on Ninth Street South, between Sixth Avenue South and 10th Avenue South; and an estimated 16 East Palatka holly trees are planned from 10th Avenue South to Broad Avenue South.
• An estimated 25 coconut palms are planned for Rum Row, from Gin Lane to the end of the road.
• An estimated 35 Spanish stopper and mahogany trees will be planted on 14th Street North, from Creech Road to 22nd Avenue North.

About $515,000 for the tree plantings will come from city coffers, and close to $82,000 comes from private donations and matching funds from the Blair Foundation.

After the city lost nearly 2,000 trees to Hurricane Irma, the Blair Foundation wanted to see if there was another way to assist Naples, said Dana Souza, the city's community services director. The local organization has pledged to match up to $500,000 in donations to the city to replace the trees.

To date, the Blair Foundation Tree Challenge has generated $204,394, with half coming from private donations and the other half from the foundation in matching funds, according to city officials.

"So it's working," Souza said. The initiative for matching funds started in 2018 and runs through December 2021.

Donations can be at-large — which means they will be spent wherever the city deems it most necessary — or they can be site- and neighborhood-specific.

"So, for example, Park Shore donations will be planted in the Park Shore community," Souza said.

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The city funds will be spent in accordance with the council's direction of planting main roads first, he said.

"As we get to the end of this year's plant cycle, we'll be wrapping up pretty much most of the main roads," he added. "We'll have some that'll be included in our fiscal year '20 planting. And then we'll be able to start getting into neighborhood roads."

For neighborhood streets, the city will start with the busiest roads, Souza said.

A majority of the trees being planted are replacements due to Irma, Souza said. Some are empty spots that may have existed before the storm.

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City spending on tree plantings has steadily increased over the last few years.

In 2016, the annual amount for trees was $150,000, Souza said. In 2017, that number increased to $300,000, in part due to a number of vacant planting locations. After Hurricane Irma, the amount increased to $500,000, Souza said.

For fiscal 2020, the proposed budget includes $500,000 in city funds, plus $32,000 in donations to date.

Naples, Souza said, is known for its "beautiful landscaping" and public shade canopies on lots of streets. And aside from the aesthetic component, trees can provide wildlife habitat and cooling effects, he said.

"There are a lot of social benefits to planting trees," Souza said.

Connect with the reporter at patrick.riley@naplesnews.com or on Twitter @PatJRiley.

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