Opinion | Save the trees in Coral Springs | Editorial

For 34 years in a row, Coral Springs was honored as a “Tree City U.S.A.” by the Arbor Foundation.

That’s a tribute to be proud of, especially in overdeveloped Broward County. Every patch of shade offers precious relief from South Florida’s searing heat, in a place where far too many trees have been cleared for gas stations, strip malls and townhouses.

Thousands of trees in Coral Springs now face extinction. The villain is not the city or a rapacious land developer but an obscure but powerful independent drainage district, supposedly to protect resiliency and prevent flooding.

The only way to halt this excessive clear-cutting of an estimated 2,500 trees is in an election to be held on Monday, June 19. Under antiquated and anti-democratic voting rules, the election is limited to those who own property in the district, which disenfranchises renters. In addition, proxy voting is allowed, so people can collect ballots from others who own land in the district.

The Coral Springs Improvement District (CSID), an independent fiefdom created decades ago by the state Legislature, has told area landowners it plans to forge ahead with a “stormwater resiliency and safety project,” at a cost of up to $6 million with money from assessments charged to property owners in the district.

Stop the bulldozers

But there’s a catch. Both district supervisors who support the tree-cutting plan must be re-elected. In a healthy sign of civic and environmental activism, residents have mobilized to stop the bulldozers. Acting under the name “Save Our Trees,” they have put forth a slate of three candidates in Monday’s election: Ben Groenevelt, Stephen Lytle and Carl Tiefenbrun. All three are committed to scrapping the clear-cutting project.

“Let’s slow down and see what other options are out there without destruction to the environment,” Lytle told the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board.

“Flipping” the district board of supervisors is the only way to ensure that all those trees will be saved. That means unseating the two board members who support the tree removal, Marty Shank and Len Okyn (a third board member is not running).

The Sun Sentinel attempted to reach Shank and Okyn for comment. An automated reply from a group called “People Power at Work” promised a response within 24 hours, but none arrived.

The district says trees must be removed so that they don’t block canals, which could cause flooding or property damage to nearby homes and restrict the flow of water to pumping stations, especially after a hurricane.

“Flooding poses a significant threat to our community, and it is imperative that we take proactive measures to mitigate this risk,” Shank and Okyn said in a letter to district residents. “By clearing the trees along the waterways, we can enhance the water flow and improve the efficiency of our flood control systems. This action is essential to safeguard our homes, protect our properties and ensure the safety of our residents during periods of heavy rainfall.”

In response, Save Our Trees says a massive destruction of trees is not a measured or rational strategy, and that smaller steps are needed first, such as by removing debris and aquatic vegetation. Details of the proposed scope of work show the district plans to remove trees from 5 to 20 feet in the right of way beyond the water’s edge, on either side of a vast network of 22 miles of canals.

The district provides drinking water, drainage and flood control to much of the city’s south side, located south of Royal Palm Boulevard and east of the Sawgrass Expressway.

‘It will all be removed’

As minutes of a December district board meeting state: “The new policy is, if it is in the district’s right of way, it will all be removed.”

City Commissioner Joshua Simmons, a homeowner who lives in the district, said he’s impressed with how opponents have built a strong grassroots movement through email lists, social engagement and knocking on doors in the 33071 zip code.

Aside from a recent school boundary controversy, Simmons, speaking for himself, not for the city, said: “It’s the most organized I have seen a community come together. There is constant communication, constant engagement. They want this.”

Two years ago, the Legislature passed a law to bring more democracy to future district elections — over the district’s opposition.

The law (HB 1495), sponsored by Rep. Dan Daley, D-Coral Springs, expands the district board from three to five members. It ended proxy and weighted voting that tilted the scale in favor of large landowners and allows all voters in the district to vote — not only landowners. Voters approved the changes in a referendum last November, but they don’t take effect until next year. Daley said the district wasted $350,000 of landowners’ money on a futile effort to kill the referendum.

Monday’s election is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the cafeteria of Maplewood Elementary School, 9850 Ramblewood Dr., Coral Springs. This vote is critically important to saving so many trees. As Save Our Trees’ website says: “Join our fight to preserve and protect our city’s tree canopy.”

Stop the chainsaw massacre in Coral Springs.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at .