Pasco to implement new maintenance plan after Dade City Garden Club asks county to save historic 'Grand Oak No. 7'

The Dade City Garden Club delivered a resolution urging Pasco County to rescind plans to remove a historically significant live oak — identified as “Grand Oak No. 7” — from the courthouse grounds, and county staff said they will implement a new maintenance and monitoring program following a certified arborist's inspection.

Karen Menard, reading a resolution adopted by the Garden Club, said the tree “is estimated to be between 200 and 250 years old and represents one of the oldest and most significant natural landmarks in Dade City.” The resolution asks the county to vote against removal and to consider registering the tree as a heritage tree.

County staff responded that the board had directed the county to retain a master arborist, who completed a detailed inspection earlier that month. A county official said the arborist's report “provided a comprehensive look at the tree's condition and also included options for removal or remediation and maintenance.” Based on that review, Pasco County will implement a new maintenance plan and “reevaluate the tree's condition biannually to ensure everyone's safety,” the official said.

Why it matters: The oak is on the grounds of the historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City and, according to the Garden Club, holds cultural, environmental and heritage value. Garden Club members warned that proposed replacement plantings of sabal palms would not provide equivalent shade and face a new disease — lethal bronzing — that threatens palms in Florida.

Next steps: County staff said it will proceed with the maintenance program derived from the arborist's recommendations and monitor outcomes on a six‑month schedule; no formal removal decision was announced during the meeting.