County Commission to consider Rockledge Drive tree-trimming plan that has residents upset

A long-running dispute between Brevard County and some residents of Rockledge Drive over stately oak trees could come to a head on Tuesday evening. That's when the County Commission considers accepting a report on a tree-trimming proposal for the county-maintained portion of the road.

At issue are large oak trees overhanging the road. For the county, the focus is on the potential hazards the trees cause to larger vehicles that are on the road. For the residents, they fear impacting trees that provide shade and add to the ambience on this winding road along the Indian River, often more popular with bicyclists and runners than vehicles.

A Brevard County Public Works Department report indicated that 61 of the more than 1,000 trees along the 2.6-mile stretch of Rockledge Drive would need to be trimmed. These 61 trees have branches that are lower than 14 feet from the road and are overhanging the road pavement.

Brevard County Public Works Director Marc Bernath said 15 of those trees would require severe trimming, 18 would require major trimming and 28 would require minor trimming.

None would be required to be cut down, he added.

In all, 37 property owners would be affected, Bernath said, with some properties having more than one tree that would need trimming.

"We're talking about a very small portion of the trees," Bernath said. "We're not asking people to remove trees."

Threat to trees: Landmark Rockledge Drive trees face severe cutbacks despite delay

Rockledge Drive residents express concerns about tree plan

Residents along Rockledge Drive, however, fear that any action by the county would detract from the scenic nature of the road. Some residents, as well as an attorney representing the Rockledge Drive Tree Coalition, have been speaking at recent County Commission meetings to express their concerns.

Additionally, residents are worried about a separate proposal that could lead to a new sewer line being installed along Rockledge Drive, which they say could require cutting down trees on or near the path of the sewer line.

Bernath said no decisions have been made about the sewer line path.

Michelle Maricic, a 30-year resident of Rockledge Drive and a founder of the Rockledge Drive Tree Coalition, said residents are not supportive of the county's latest tree-trimming plan. She is hoping for a compromise.

If not, Maricic said, "they will have a real issue on their hands," including potentially "facing legal ramifications."

"This is a forced taking, in everyone's minds," Maricic said.

The county says all tree-trimming work would remain within the county's right of way, which generally follows the paved roadway.

The County Commission on March 12 unanimously approved a resolution and maintenance maps for the Rockledge Drive right of way, which the county said was done "to enumerate and document the county’s specific ownership boundaries on Rockledge Drive."

Four trees on Maricic's property are listed by the county as needing "major limb trimming," which the county describes as "significant trimming to canopy or multiple branches."

The county classifies "minor limb trimming" as "very minor or limited trimming to branches." The county says the most severe category is "major++" or "substantial" trimming "to canopy/trunk, which may impact tree viability."

Maricic contends that the trees do not present a traffic safety issue, and that the 14-foot clearance is not required.

County officials feel differently.

County proposes 14-foot clearance

Bernath said the focus of Tuesday's County Commission discussion will be commissioners receiving the staff report and public comment on tree maintenance along Rockledge Drive.

There is no specific proposal on the agenda to move forward with the tree-trimming proposal, although commissioners potentially could give county staff direction to do so.

Bernath said county staff has performed tree surveys, tree condition evaluations and an engineering evaluation to determine the status of the trees. The study concluded that the tree maintenance needed could be limited to trees with less than 14 feet of vertical clearance, rather than 16 feet. Bernath said a 16-foot clearance requirement would have required "significantly more" trees to be trimmed.

In his report to commissioners, Bernath said the 14-foot clearance requirement would "ensure that the character and nature of Rockledge Drive are preserved to the greatest extent possible, while allowing for appropriate traffic safety."

"We know that it is a sensitive issue," Bernath said. "There's obviously some opposition to anything we're doing."

The county says there were 26 accidents along Rockledge Drive since 2014. That includes four involving a truck colliding with a tree limb overhanging the road — one in 2017, two in 2018 and one in 2019.

Maricic said residents of Rockledge Drive and their supporters plan to attend Tuesday's County Commission meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. Maricic also plans to bring a copy of an online petition that has been signed by more than 9,000 people.

"This has been going on for seven years," Maricic said. "I think it's underhanded. They're not listening to the voters. They're not listening to the community. They're pushing their own agenda. It's like a hamster wheel. We're not getting straight answers."

Rockledge Drive resident Carole Pope told commissioners at their March 12 meeting that she suspected there was "some type of a county vendetta against Rockledge Drive."

Any county action on tree-trimming would affect only the portion of Rockledge Drive within the unincorporated portion of the county, and not the portion that is within the Rockledge city boundaries.

Rockledge Mayor Tom Price said the trees in the city portion of Rockledge Drive have not been an issue in his nearly 20 years in city government. Price said, occasionally, the city will ask a resident for permission to cut a low-hanging branch in front of the resident's property. But there has never been a similar controversy like what's occurring now in the unincorporated area.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Tree-trimming plan for Rockledge Drive coming to Brevard Commission