Photo by Madeline Gray
FPL is the bully power company that has power generation assets in more than 20 states. It made $945 million in profits in 2011 with 11,000 employees. Don't you think they could have found a couple of them to dig up these wonderful trees or save them some how? No, they took the expedient way out and cut down ten Royal Palm Trees along Royal Palm Beach Boulevard because they said the fronds were interfering with service to their customers.
With permission of the town commissioners, they went in and cut them down, just like that.
This story is so outrageous. What's more so is that city allowing FPL to do what they did. All of them should be kicked off the council. This reminds me of the tree cut down to the roots at our cultural Plaza because someone didn't like the berries falling on the pavers. Disgusting and here it sits with no replacement and no one held accountable. Is this what government is all about? Favors to the few?
ReplyDeletethey look higher than four feet
ReplyDeleteanony @ 12:31--
ReplyDeleteWere you deprived as a child?
Did your mother not love you?
Even if the trees needed to go, they should have been transplanted, mature palms are actually quite easy to transplant b/c they are not like actual trees with a big root system.
ReplyDeleteWhat a horrible waste.
FPL is the company that gave their CEO $93 million in compensation last year. Who will pay for that?
ReplyDeleteTheir customers of course.
Some in our City want us to sell to them even though whatever we are paid will have to be paid back to them in higher rates for Lake Worth customers only.
The Public Service Commission does not allow cross capitalization; a purchased municipality is the only entity that can pay higher rates to offset the cost of an FPL (or any other energy provider)investment.
As far as the destruction of ROYAL
PALM Beach's beautiful Royal Palm trees, this evidences a company with tunnel vision that shirks maintenance, abetted by a Commission without environmental commitment, vision or understanding of community aesthetics.
Trees are known to lower the temperature in the microclimate where they grow and remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Hopefully FPL will replace them before the summer with mature Royal Palms to enhance the environment that they have just destroyed.
It was the most cost effective thing to do. Does it look bad...yes. Are they going to replace them with trees who's height can be controlled, probably. Transplanting a mature Palm is labor intensive and not always successful. I am not if favor of killing anything but, I am a realist. sometimes you have to do things for the greater good. Im sure some of you who are complaining about the trees are the same people who would complain that their power went out because a palm fron shorted out the wires. Ya cant have it both ways!
ReplyDeleteI see. We who believe this is disgusting, are the same people who complain when our power goes out because of palm fronds?
ReplyDeleteFPL and the town should have had a plan to remove them and re-plant somewhere else. They didn't. You say they are probably going to replace them...well, I think they will have to because the people are ticked off. But then, the people were ticked off about the Ficus/Banyan at our Cultural Plaza and we still do NOT have a tree.
I'm sure that "laurence" would have been in favor of removing the trees is the ceo of FPL made $80 K a year. What a lousy argument and has nothing to do with removing harmful trees that can only continue to grow straight up into the wires. I'm sure he wouldn't have complained one bit if FPL re-routed their lines to save all that carbon removal and charged the city for it. Did FPL put the lines up before or after the trees were planted?
ReplyDeleteSounds like they gave the city the opportunity to transplant them and the cost and likelihood of success was probably factored in.
It's just easier to blame the EVIL FPL.
And all of "laurence's" babble of what an FPL buy out of our utility would cost us is conjecture. We have never asked them. How does he know?
I'd love to hear what they propose. They have said they are interested. Why not hear them out to see IF it can make sense for our city and our residents/rate payers.
And thank you Lynn for not simply calling it a Banyan. A Banyan is in the ficus family but that tree was a ficus benjamima, not a Banyan.
ReplyDeleteRoyal palms are NOT harmful trees. Royal palms are planted on Royal Palm Beach blvd for their majesty and beauty.
The point here was the FPL with its tons of money made from their tons of customers, many being Royal Palm Beach residents, took the easy way out. They and that commission did not care if people would be upset. No matter how much money Hay makes as CEO is not the point. It is the principle here and FPL made a cut and dry business decision--going with the cheapest way to solve this. Not admirable.
Next, Laurence's argument was respectful. If we would ever sell it, which we won't, we would have to have all the details allowing the residents to vote. I believe that Laurence is closer to the truth than those who want us to rid ourselves of this valuable asset that is keeping the city afloat.
And get a tree replacement at our cultural Center...quit pussy footing around. They cut it down with NO permission. It has been a cover-up since it happened.
No cover-up at all. The one responsible got a three day suspension if memory serves me correct. I know, that is not enough for some of you. You want him tarred and feathered, water boarded and then fired.
ReplyDeleteThe argument on the other side of the FPL vs LWU is less respectful?
FPL indicated they "might" be interested in our utility. We have had wild valuations of the value, both concrete and intrinsic.
What is the harm in letting them do their due diligence and come up with an offer?
We can say "Thanks, but no thanks".
There is NO harm in allowing them to do that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, today's value probably won't be tomorrow's. FPL knows that without a concrete possibility of a sale, it would be taking valuable resources to "spin some wheels." They run their operation as a business with valid cost cutting decisions as well as making their customers pay through the nose for future nuclear plants, etc.
The probably could give us a guesstimate right now...20 cents on the dollar.
a paid three day holiday on the taxpayers of LW for cutting down this 75 tear old tree,,,Such a deal. Stop drinking the Koolaid.
ReplyDelete