Tree commission outlines $30 million fund and 16,758 trees planted since 2018

Curtis Hart, chair of the Tree Commission, told the Duval County Finance Committee the commission administers three primary programs — remove-and-replace, city-request planting (call-in service), and larger Level 2 design projects — and that roughly $30 million is available in the tree fund, about $20 million from ordinance authorities and $10 million under the charter.

Hart said the commission has planted 16,758 trees since 2018 across those program types and described the eligibility rules: trees must be on public property (street right-of-way, parks, schools) and Level 3 projects require a nonprofit sponsor and a submitted project design. "If you want a tree in your right-of-way in front of your house, you call that number and we go out," Hart said.

Council members pressed how the fund interacts with capital projects. Council member Landon asked whether trees for large, debt-funded CIP projects (for example Riverfront Plaza) can be paid from the tree fund or must be covered by the project's CIP budget; Hart and Justin Gearhart of Public Works said CIP teams may request tree-commission funds and legitimate requests have not been denied. "If the city through their CIP wanted to fund some trees in public right-of-way, they could certainly get it from us," Hart said.

Jacoby Pittman asked about plantings in FDOT rights-of-way and mitigation sites, including Lonnie Miller Park. Nina Sigler of Public Works said Level 2 tree plantings can be placed in DOT right-of-way with DOT permission and that maintenance responsibilities are negotiated case-by-case. Sigler noted the city has an ongoing maintenance contract with DOT that reimburses for a baseline level of work; any additional cycles the city provides are not fully reimbursed by DOT.

Council members raised policy options for using the growing fund balance: Council member Arias noted the fund has grown from roughly $20 million to $30 million and suggested the council consider whether to keep collecting developer-derived tree fees if the administration is not deploying the dollars quickly. Council member Reyes, the council liaison to the commission, said the money accumulates because the administration must request projects and encouraged council members to identify planting opportunities within their districts.

The commission and public-works staff also described operational details: Level 2 projects follow a design and inspection process and projects above $300,000 require additional approvals; maintenance warranties often accompany new plantings for at least one to two years.

The committee did not take action on a directive at this meeting; council members said they will consider legislation and options later to speed deployment of the tree funds.