WINDERMERE, Fla. — Extra efforts will soon be underway to protect trees across Orange County.

Commissioners passed updates to the county’s tree preservation ordinance, which beefs up the development code when it comes to protecting the urban tree canopy.

Some residents in the Horizon West area are happy about this change, given all the development and the numerous trees that have gone down along with it.

After Hurricane Ian, Reams Road shut down for weeks due to floodwaters. It hurt businesses dramatically, leaving many worried it could happen again.

“There has been a lot of clear-cutting which is pretty dangerous. We’ve seen the effects of that, especially with our business," said Playa Pizza owner Stephen Facella. "Very scary to think what is going to happen when we do have a hurricane to see (the impact on) what was once wetlands to (what is now) homes on the wetlands."

It's a concern shared by Orange County District 1 commissioner Nicole Wilson, who recently checked out freshly cleared land just down the road from Playa Pizza. While some projects were approved years ago, she said she wants to keep land clearing from happening again.

“It was really frustrating to see the complete lack of understanding for the value that those trees provided," said Wilson. 

That's why she was a big supporter of updating the county’s tree preservation ordinance. 

As it stood, applicants for a development project could clear-cut an entire parcel of land and call it site prep.

"If you are doing that before you ever get your application in, then we don't even know what is there," said Wilson. "And sometimes there are some really high-value trees, biodiversity and ecosystems that we can't get back."

Starting Jan. 1, Orange County will keep a closer eye on these developments as well as set protection zones, designate high-value trees and focus on replanting efforts to hopefully preserve more wildlife and help with flood mitigation. Developers also will no longer be able to clear land without the county looking at it.

“There will be a site visit with an arborist and they will identify right there the heritage and specimen trees that require preservation," said Wilson. 

As for Facella, he feels better knowing at least some of the nature around him will be protected moving forward.

“We can’t be surprised that there is going to be development, but we can do development correctly and I think that is a win for everybody,” he said.

Wilson also said that the county is busy trying to bring in more arborists so they are ready to send them out when this ordinance takes effect on March 15, 2024.

She said while she sees the change as a big win, it still does not impact trees controlled by HOA boards, which concerned her.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the effective date of the ordinance as January.