Description

The diagram indicates the locations of individual and clusters of Brazilian Pepper Trees around Harbor Isle Lake (a storm water retention pond). This includes the berm area that is “dedicated to the public” property as is the lake itself that the City’s SPTO Department is required to monitor and maintain. The orange line marks the area of the berm covered with a continuous growth of large pepper trees. These have profusely spread under Mr. Claude Tankersley’s watch as Public Works Administrator without any corrective action. The other small colored dots of red, blue and yellow are pepper tree growths on private properties. These pepper trees are probably the result of birds spreading seeds from the berm pepper trees and the fact that ill-informed Harbor isle residents are unaware of the ecological harm and the City code violations for not removing this plant material.

“It is clearly prohibited to possess or transport Schinus terebinthifolius in Florida.

Brazilian pepper is classified by the state of Florida as a noxious weed. This means it is unlawful to introduce, possess, move or release any part of the plant in Florida. Also, the live plants are not protected by any local or state laws or ordinances. “

It can be argued that the City of St. Petersburg is acting unlawfully by not removing these plants. Therefore, the City is transporting and permitting this plant to spread by allowing the release of its seeds that cultivates other seedlings that proliferates this plant all around the Harbor Isle neighborhood, compounding the problem exponentially.

We as private citizens, Harbor Isle lakefront property owners and concerned stakeholders, privately funded a scientific investigator that was contracted for identifying the pepper tree population surrounding the lake among other water quality related data.

“The mapping of Schinus terebinthifolia showed 17 growths [on private property] along the shoreline including a continuous growth occupying 1,700 feet of shoreline along the northern berm [dedicated to the public property] (19% of lakes shoreline).”

This is biological survey data that the City – SPTO Department and Mr. Michael Perry – Lake Manager has refused to document or investigate after more than 5 years of being involved with the Harbor Isle Remediation Project (since 2018).

Initially, through a written public request by myself (dated 2023-01-24 over a year ago) to Mr. Perry, the Stormwater Department Supervision, Mr. Claude Tankersley – Public Works Administrator, Mayor Welch and his Senior Staff members, Mr. Michael Perry was directly asked whether all pepper trees were removed from the berm during his periodic maintenance of the berm. Mr. Perry then ignored my question and did not respond to me. Then Mr. Perry only supplied an indirect misleading response to only the HIHOA Board Members (not the general public) in a quarterly January 2023 Update that stated that an arborist from the City was on location for the work. Months later, Mr. Perry was repeatedly requested by his prior main HIHOA contact person and Lake Committee member to remove pepper trees on the berm (Note: HIHOA is a neighborhood association – not a legally defined HOA).

Mr. Perry never answered the direct question – were all the pepper trees removed? Mr. Perry ignored the question/requests and no observable removal of peppertrees were done. Now more a year later, the pepper tree infestation due to his lack of oversight and maintenance action is a continuous growth of large pepper trees on the berm bank, around one fifth of the lake perimeter on “dedicated to the public” property. This has been a continual SPTO maintenance problem ever since Mr. Tankersley has been Public Works Administrator and his SPTO Supervision has been in place (including Mr. Dianna Raleigh –SPTO Director who was terminated).

Mr. Perry, please immediately remove and prevent the growth of these invasive, non-native noxious weeds on the berm and inform those private property owners (identified in the diagram) of their legal obligation to remove this plant on their own property.

Removal of any and all Brazilian pepper trees on the berm would set a good civic example by the City of St. Petersburg for the Harbor Isle residents.

Mr. Perry, only Close this SeeClickFix issue when the task is completed - not upon a brief comment by yourself.