Sanford warns, trim trees early before storm season arrives

Sanford is warning residents not to wait until a storm is already closing in to trim trees. The city said the common pre-storm scramble, with chainsaws running and branches coming down under pressure, can make conditions more dangerous for the whole neighborhood, not safer.

The May 27 message treated pruning as a seasonal safety task, not a panic response. Sanford said cutting branches at the last minute can expose people to falling limbs, unstable ladders and rushed decisions, even as homeowners try to protect roofs, cars and driveways from storm damage.

That warning lines up with University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences guidance. UF/IFAS says trees larger than about 15 feet should be pruned by a certified arborist before hurricane season, and it notes that even a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of 74 to 95 mph, can snap trees. UF/IFAS says storm-resistant trees usually have a low center of gravity, a strong trunk and a deep, symmetrical root system. Trees with decayed trunks, multiple trunks, shallow roots, construction-damaged roots, disease or insect problems are more vulnerable.

The public-safety risk reaches beyond one yard. Florida Power & Light Company says trees and vegetation touching overhead power lines are a leading cause of outages and flickers, and it warns residents not to trim trees and shrubs as a storm approaches or after a hurricane watch or warning is announced. Duke Energy Florida says trees are a leading cause of outages as well, and that it performs vegetation maintenance throughout the year and adds work ahead of hurricane season.

Seminole County adds another reason to finish the work early. The county says it reserves the right to decide whether disaster debris threatens health and safety and whether to begin emergency county debris removal. It also says heavy collection trucks must pull off roads and suspend operations hours before tropical-storm-force winds arrive, which can leave last-minute debris piled up when crews can no longer work safely.

Florida’s recovery officials underscored how quickly residents can be forced to reset their preparations. The Florida Division of Emergency Management said Hurricane Helene became the second hurricane to make landfall in the Florida Big Bend during the 2024 Atlantic season, only 53 days after Hurricane Debby. For Sanford and the rest of Seminole County, the message is plain: prune early, use professional help for larger trees and keep people, ladders and chainsaws out of the weather’s path once storm conditions start moving in.