Recently married ficus tree at Fort Myers park will not be removed

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Fort Myers beautification advisory board decides not to cut down tree in Snell Family Park.

The City of Fort Myers beautification advisory board voted Tuesday afternoon not to remove a tree in Snell Family Park.

Controversy began after the city discussed cutting down the 100-year-old ficus tree in 2017 to make way for a new home to be built on the land.

Fort Myers resident Karen Cooper held a ceremony Saturday to marry the tree in an attempt to protect and preserve it.

“I told other people if they cut this tree down, then I’m going to be a widow,” Cooper said.

While the city decided not to remove the tree, it will trim and reduce the tree by 30 percent. The board said the trimming of the tree will make it more manageable and will help it withstand more hurricanes in the future.

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