§ 138-3655. Minimum plant material specifications.

Plant materials which are utilized to satisfy the required landscaping shall comply with the following minimum standards:

(a)

Plant species selection.

(1)

All new and replacement plantings shall be graded State Department of Agriculture Nursery Grade No. 1 or better, as specified by the State Division of Plant Industry Grades and Standards for Nursery Plants manual published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

(2)

Any plant material used to meet the minimum standards of this division shall be chosen from the county's approval plant as listed in section 138-3664. Species listed as an undesirable tree in this division cannot be used towards meeting the minimum standards of this division.

(3)

At least 60 percent of the plant species shall be native varieties.

(4)

The plant species may be further defined in special districts.

(5)

In the event of a market shortage, the county administrator or designee may approve a reduction of the required caliper to the largest available Grade No. 1 equivalent plant.

(b)

Plant specification requirements.

(1)

Plants shall meet the minimum specification as listed in Table 138-3655.a—Plant Specification Requirements at the time of installation.

Table 138-3655.a — Plant Specification Requirements
Plant	Size (at Installation)	Quality	Other Requirements
Shade Tree	■ 2.0" caliper	Florida Grades and Standards	■ Species diversity is preferred over monoculture. Shade trees subject to the minimum number of tree species of this section.    ■ Must be planted a minimum of five feet from any impervious area.
Accent Tree	■ 1.5" caliper per stem	Florida Grades and Standards	■ 2 accent trees = 1 shade tree;    ■ No more than 25% of required trees may be accent trees.
Palm Tree	■ 12' clear trunk height  ■ Certain palms noted on the approved plant list may be substituted on a 1 for 1 basis with shade tree requirements	Florida Grades and Standards	■ 25% of required trees may be palm trees.    ■ Staggered clusters of 3 palm trees = 1 shade tree, except for specimen palm trees such as: phoenix canariensis (canary island date palm), phoenix dactylifera (edible date palm) and phoenix reclinata (senegal date palm), which count as shade trees on a 1:1 ratio.
Shrubs	■ Perimeter hedges 24"-height and 3-gallon    ■ Interior hedges, foundation plantings and/or shrubs 15" height 3-gallon	Florida Grades and Standards	■ Species diversity is preferred over monoculture.    ■ Maintained a minimum of 36" in height.
Ornamental Grasses	■ 1-gallon	Florida Grades and Standards
Ground Cover/Vines	■ 1-gallon	Florida Grades and Standards	■ Encouraged in lieu of turf to reduce irrigation needs.
Turf	■ N/A	Florida Grades and Standards	■ Turf areas are to be consolidated and limited to areas of pedestrian traffic, recreation use and erosion control.
Mulch	■ 3-inches minimum for organic mulch	N/A	■ Mulch and similar material must be protected from washing out of the planting bed.
Notes: (1) All new and replacement plantings shall be graded State Department of Agriculture Nursery Grade No. 1 or better, as specified by the State Division of Plant Industry Grades and Standards for Nursery Plants manual published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. (2) In the event of a market shortage, the county administrator or designee may at his/her discretion, approve a reduction of the required caliper to the largest available Grade No. 1 equivalent plant.

 

(c)

Minimum shade tree species.

(1)

A minimum variety of shade tree species shall be provided pursuant to Table 138-3655.b—Minimum Number of Tree Species.

(2)

Each species shall provide a minimum of ten percent of the total number of trees.

Table 138-3655.b — Minimum Number of Shade Tree Species
Total Number of Required Trees	Required Minimum Number of Tree Species
1-9	1
10-19	2
20-29	3
30-49	4
50-over	5

 

(Ord. No. 18-36 , § 3(Att. B), 10-23-18)