[Note: this article combines the Tree Trust Fund presentation and the council debate about a reimbursement request by the Water Department for trees planted during pipe projects.]

City staff told council that about $6 million in Tree Trust Fund fees have been collected, with a concentration of receipts in several central planning districts. The legal and budget presentation outlined several city tree programs — including a right‑of‑way planting program, a city “Relief Tampa” public‑land planting effort, the mayor’s tree giveaway and partnerships with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful — and introduced a dashboard and mapping effort to track plantings and health checks.

Council attention centered on a $334,000 reimbursement the Water Department requested to cover 237 trees planted in two neighborhoods as part of pipe replacement projects. Assistant and departmental staff said the trees were added as change‑order plantings while crews were already in the ground and that the city’s contractor and a subcontracted landscape firm performed tree selection, planting and monthly watering for the first season. Brad Barrett, deputy infrastructure administrator, said the program was intended as a pilot to “leave the neighborhood with more canopy than we found it,” and that the planting work was performed outside the core pipe‑construction scope and was later submitted for reimbursement to the Tree Trust Fund.

Council members pressed staff on multiple points: species mix and canopy value, whether homeowners removed newly planted trees, contractual responsibilities for watering and maintenance after the first year, a cost per tree that councilmembers said appeared to be approximately $1,200–$1,400, and whether using Tree Trust money to reimburse another department establishes a precedent for moving tree‑fund dollars between internal accounts without prior council approval. Councilmembers repeatedly reiterated a preference — expressed by many public commenters and neighborhood activists — that the Tree Trust Fund be spent preferentially on long‑lived, large‑canopy (Type‑1) trees and that privately owned property should be a focus because right‑of‑way constraints limit size and root space.

After lengthy debate, council voted to continue consideration of the reimbursement to the Dec. 18 meeting and asked staff to return with alternative funding sources and a clearer process for inter‑departmental arrangements. Council also instructed staff to schedule a public Tree Town Hall in January and to prepare a workshop in spring 2026 to develop a transparent policy on tree fund use, species prioritization and reporting requirements (including six‑ and twelve‑month checks for plant survival).

Why it matters: Tampa lost substantial canopy in recent storms, and the Tree Trust Fund was created to support canopy restoration. Council’s questions focus on matching limited public dollars to long‑term canopy goals and on implementing clearer rules so funds are used consistently across departments and publicly tracked.

What to watch: staff will return on Dec. 18 with options for funding the Water Department’s work (if council elects to reimburse from a different source) and with a proposed process for inter‑departmental agreements and reporting.