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Pinellas Park council adopts ordinance removing an invasive tree species from approved list
Summary
The Pinellas Park City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-16 on second and final reading to remove an invasive tree species from the city's approved tree-materials list after a staff presentation and no public comment.
The Pinellas Park City Council on June 9 unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-16, a second-and-final-reading amendment to the city's land-development code removing an identified invasive tree species from the approved tree-materials list.
Planning coordinator Kiara Brown presented LDC case LDC 0326000000008, telling the council staff's request was prompted by the species’ spread and seed production. "We want to remove campware trees from the approved tree materials list due to them now being an invasive species," Brown said.
Brown told council the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval on May 7, 2026 and that the change would amend section 18-1533-10 of the code. Council member Sel asked for clarification on invasiveness, citing Brazilian pepper as an example of a species that can “just take over.” Brown and council members noted the species is not native and can self-seed aggressively.
There was no public testimony during the hearing. Vice Mayor Butler moved to adopt Ordinance 2026-16 on second and final reading; the motion was seconded and council members then cast votes electronically on Granicus. The motion carried unanimously.
The ordinance updates the city's approved species list and will take effect as provided in the ordinance. Staff noted the Planning & Zoning recommendation and the code section changed; Brown remained available to answer follow-up questions.
