County Pulls Out Trees To Prop Up Tourism Economy

On October 29, private crews began removing between 50 to 65 trees in preparation for a November 7 parade of 50 to 75 small airplanes taxing from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to the County's Convention Center. The tree removal -- and the length Broward County will go for tourism dollars -- drew strong reaction from the public since it became known more than a week ago, but the actual removal set off a new wave of anxiety. Plans call for most of the trees to be relocated. "How can they relocate them when they're cutting them down?" asked local government watchdog Helen Ferris of Fort Lauderdale. "They're very handy with the saw. I don't believe a word of it." City officials said most trees will be relocated, but some will be disposed of because of poor form, or because contractors can't get enough of the root ball to relocate them. County Tourism czar Nicki Grossman, who estimated that the convention will bring between $7.5 million to $10 million to the local economy, said she couldn't book the convention without agreeing to the airplane parade.