Many Miami residents hope city leaders were listening during Tuesday's public meeting on a newly proposed law about tree permits.
City of Miami commissioners are looking to update existing laws about tree permitting on public and private property. The city says its tree ordinance is outdated and causes residents too many headaches when they need to trim or remove a tree.
The proposal is meant to streamline the permitting process and make it easier for homeowners to get rid of unprotected trees. This has met with backlash from environmentalists and resident groups who fear tree removal will become too easy, and the city’s tree canopy will suffer.
"If we pare down all of these regulations we are making it easier for people to not understand the importance of trees," said Christina Colon, one of the speakers at a Sunshine meeting called to discuss the proposed changes.
Speakers like Carlos Martell agreed with the city that the current permitting process is too cumbersome.
"I love the tree protections and I am all for protecting the trees. All I want is expedited permitting. Something that is simple to follow, and it doesn’t get stuck for eight or nine months," Martell said.
City officials said they’ll consider the feedback and amend the proposed tree ordinance with a potential compromise.
READ MORE: Developers push controversial Miami ordinance that would make it easier to cut down trees
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