Questions Cape Coral homeowners ask us
Insurance, permits, prices, pines, palms, owls, mangroves, hurricanes and storms — the short answers. Anything we missed, call and ask.
Are you licensed and insured?
Florida doesn't license tree services statewide, so there's no state tree license to hold. What matters is insurance: the crews that work through us carry general liability and workers' compensation, and the certificate is available before anyone climbs. A crew without workers' comp that gets hurt on your property is your problem. We also have an ISA Certified Arborist on staff.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Cape Coral?
No. The city doesn't require a permit to trim or remove trees on private residential property, and F.S. 163.045 bars local permits or replanting for an arborist-documented risk tree. What does apply: the state's protections for burrowing owls, gopher tortoises, bald eagles and mangroves, and the city's expectation that a finished lot keeps its required trees and stays free of invasive exotics. Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Estero and unincorporated Lee County have their own rules; we check per property.
How much does tree removal cost?
A typical Cape Coral removal is $550–$750; most jobs run $220–$1,500. By height: under 25 ft $200–$500, 25–50 ft $500–$1,200, 50–75 ft $1,200–$2,500, 75 ft and up $2,000–$4,000. Palms $150–$1,200, Australian pines on a canal lot $800–$3,500, crane jobs $2,500–$7,000, stump grinding $3–$5 per inch with a $150 minimum. Emergency work adds $400–$1,500.
Do you charge for estimates?
No. An estimator walks the lot and leaves a written price. A formal written tree risk assessment or an F.S. 163.045 letter from our arborist is a small flat fee, credited toward any work.
Do you require a deposit?
Not until you've approved the written price and we've scheduled the work. Most residential jobs are paid on completion.
Does my tree really need to come down?
About half the trees we're called about can stay with pruning. Species is the first question — an Australian pine on a seawall or a Ganoderma palm is a removal, a healthy live oak or black olive almost never is — then the trunk, the roots, the storm history and what's under it. We'll tell you which, with the reasons.
Do you top trees or hurricane-cut palms?
No. Topping (hat-racking) rots the stubs, pushes weak sprouts and makes the tree fail in the next storm; it's prohibited on the islands. Stripping a palm to a few upright fronds weakens it and invites disease. We prune to ANSI A300 and we clean palms of dead fronds, pods and nuts only.
Why are the pines still dying three years after Ian?
Wind-rocked roots and ring shake, plus saltwater in the south Cape. The decline shows up the following summers, and Ips beetles finish the stressed trees. Red needles mean dead — remove while the wood is sound; gray means dead a while and more dangerous.
What do I do about the owls on my lot?
Nothing within 10 feet of an active burrow, 33 feet from February 15 to July 10. If the burrow is where the house goes, the owner applies to FWC for a permit, issued as a last resort, and the city asks for a starter burrow elsewhere on the lot. We flag every burrow before a machine moves. Harming an owl or collapsing a burrow is a state and city offense.
Can you trim my mangroves?
No. Mangrove trimming is governed by state law — above ten feet it requires a registered Professional Mangrove Trimmer and the fines are per tree. We refer that work.
What is Ganoderma?
A fungus that rots palm trunks from the inside. The sign is a hard shelf conk at the base; by then the palm's structure is gone. No cure. Remove it, haul the lower trunk and stump to the landfill, and never plant a palm in that spot again.
Do you work with insurance?
Yes — we photograph everything with the date, invoice emergency removal separately as mitigation, and provide what your adjuster needs. We don't negotiate your claim.
Do you grind stumps?
Yes, $3–$5 per inch, below grade, after Sunshine 811 has marked the yard (two full business days). Ganoderma palm stumps are dug and hauled instead.
Do you serve Fort Myers and the islands?
Yes — Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Pine Island and Matlacha, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva, Bonita Springs, Estero, San Carlos Park and Iona, plus Punta Gorda and Burnt Store up the road, and every part of Cape Coral.
Do you really answer at night?
24 hours a day, every day. A tree on the house at 2 AM gets a person on the phone and a crew dispatched by priority.
Can I keep the wood?
Yes — oak and mahogany rounds for firewood or a mill, chips for mulch, and it takes money off the haul-off. Palm trunk and Ganoderma material are the exceptions; those go to the landfill.