FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 100-year-old iconic tree in Fort Lauderdale may be in jeopardy.
The rain tree that was moved nearly a year ago to make way for new development doesn’t appear to be doing too well, according to some, but its developer isn’t giving up hope.
From the New River, you cannot miss the tree’s majestic splendor.
It’s 85 feet tall and its truck is about nine feet in diameter.
Resident Kimberly Christie can see it from her balcony.
“This thing has been here for nine months, untouched,” she said. “They moved it and there it sits.”
Christie took a photo of the tree when it was in its original location.
“It was full of birds, it was full of life, it was full of iguanas, the parrots,” she said. “It had all kinds of action going on. Now it’s just sitting here, dying.”
She isn’t the only neighbor who is fearing the worse.
“They’ve got to get it into the ground as soon as possible,” said resident Ted Inserra.
In August of last year, the developer touted the moving of the tree, which was moved about 200 feet from its original location.
On Monday, they offered an update.
“Nobody cares about it more than we do,” said Environmental Design CEO Tom Cox. “It has to live.”
Since the day it was moved, the developer said an arborist inspects the tree on a weekly basis.
“The latest report is going to show continued and expansive new growth growing on the tree,” said Cox.
Also addressed Monday were questions about why the tree hasn’t been replanted.
“The tree was moved earlier than it needed to, so we can do something that is called in civil engineering, preloading of the dirt,” said Cymbal DLT Companies CEO Hector Torres.
That means they wanted to make sure the soil could handle the 450-ton tree.
“Now we feel very secure that our tree is going to not only survive, it’s going to thrive,” Torres said.
The next step, which neighbors say should have happened already, is the building of a new seawall.