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VOL 19 No. 34
June 5, 2019
Coquina Beach tree removals delayed JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
Several of these Australian pines at Coquina Beach are marked for future removal.
The county’s certified arborist recommends the removal of 102 Australian pines. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH –The Australian pines marked for removal at the south end of the Coquina Beach parking lot will remain in place until Manatee County Commissioners review a staff report on the county project and proposed tree removals, according to County Administrator Cheri Coryea. Coryea announced the delay at the commission’s Tuesday, May 28, budget work session in response to remarks that Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie made during citizens’ comments.
On Friday, May 24, Bradenton Beach city commissioners authorized Chappie to send Coryea a letter expressing their concerns about the tree removals and lack of communication from the county. Heavy equipment is already on site and some preliminary work has occurred for the first phase of the Coquina Beach drainage and parking lot improvement project.
PROJECT PERMITTING
In May, Manatee Public Works Department Project Manager Michael Sturm sent county staffers Carmine DeMilio and Jeff Streitmatter an email with the subject line: Coquina Phase 1 Australian Pine Removal. Sturm’s email said, “The certified arborist has deter-
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mined that the trees shown on the attached PDF are a risk for beach visitors if left in place. His conversation was that the 10-inch-deep excavation that will occur to construct the curb located on each side of the concrete drive and parking areas will threaten the stability of the shallow foundation roots known to occur with Australian pine trees. His recommendation was to remove 102 trees. I have also included the cost associated with the removal and disposal of the trees.” Dated May 9, the $144,441 change order submitted by Woodruff & Sons included $71,775 for tree removal and $2,652 for root pruning by Terry’s Tree Service. Sturm did not copy any Bradenton Beach officials on his email. The county project at the
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
Trees marked with a red X or an underlined red X are currently slated for removal. county-owned beach in Bradenton Beach requires a cityissued building permit. The permitting request presented to city commissioners earlier this year included no men-
tion of significant tree removals. On April 10, the county received a city-issued land use and zoning permit. SEE JUMP, PAGE 8
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