ORLANDO, Fla.,None — The city of Orlando will spend nearly $10,000 to replace more than 800 dead trees and plants around Lake Baldwin and Lake Susannah.
The St. Johns River Water Management District said a developer planted all of these trees, and that they died because the developer planted them too close to the water.
Homeowners said they started complaining about the dead trees as soon as they started dying four years ago -- just one week after the developer planted them.
Homeowner Suzanne Barnes recalls when the trees were first planted.
"We noticed men standing out in the water, in knee-deep water, trying to plant trees," Barnes said.
Homeowner Lynell Payne said she watched many of the dead trees fall over into the lake.
"Almost immediately you could tell they were declining. Many of them are submerged now. But early on, my husband and I counted 75 dead trees," Payne said.
The dead trees are planted 20 feet from the high water line, but trees planted on higher ground are doing just fine.
Despite the issues with the dead trees, the developer isn't responsible for replacing them.
A spokesperson couldn't explain why Thursday afternoon, but said it could be that the issue didn't come up while the developer was under permit.
"I'm very frustrated, there are only so many hoops you can jump through," Payne said.
Now the city is responsible for the wetlands.
The city wanted to build an off-spur trail. In exchange, the district said the city is now responsible to protect the wetlands.
Area homeowners said they hope the deal will finally leave their lake looking good.
The St. Johns River Water Management District said in a letter to a homeowners, "The city is in the process of replanting these areas and providing monitoring information to the district in accordance with the city's permit conditions."
WFTV
