§ 39-83. Appropriate plant, sod, and tree selection, location, and arrangement.

(a)

General. Plant selection should be based on the plant's adaptability to the existing conditions present at the landscaped area and native plant communities, particularly considering appropriate hardiness zone, soil type and moisture conditions, light, mature plant size, desired effect, color, and texture. Plant species that are tolerant to drought, wind, or salt are preferred. Determinations of prohibited and controlled plant species shall be pursuant to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Chapter 5B-57, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), and the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) Invasive Plant Species list. Plant species identified as prohibited and controlled according to Chapter 5B-57, F.A.C., and the FLEPPC Invasive Plant Species list may not be used, except as specifically allowed therein.

(1)

Plant quality grades. Plants used to meet the requirements of this article shall conform to the standards for Florida Grade One, or better, as provided in the most current edition of Florida Grades and Standards for Nursery Plants, by the Division of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, State of Florida. Sod shall be clean and visibly free of weeds, noxious pests, and diseases.

(2)

Native plant species. Fifty percent (50%) of all vegetation, excluding turf, required to be planted by this article shall be vegetation native to South Florida, consistent with NatureScape landscape principles and Florida-Friendly Landscaping ^TM principles. Native and drought-tolerant landscaping shall be identified on the landscape plan in compliance with the zoning designation of the property, as indicated in Sections 39-85 and 39-87 of this article.

(3)

Invasive plants. Prohibited and controlled plant species, pursuant to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Chapter 5B-57, FLEPPC Invasive Plant Species list, that are existing on site shall be removed.

(b)

Water requirements for plants. Plants shall be grouped in accordance with their respective water (hydrozone) and maintenance needs consistent with Florida-Friendly Landscaping ^TM principles. Plants with similar water and cultural (soil, climate, sun, and light) requirements shall be grouped together (habitat). Consideration should be given to plantings that require minimal or no use of gasoline-powered maintenance equipment.

(1)

The hydrozones shall be shown on the irrigation layout and planting plans, as required. Where natural conditions are such that irrigation is not required, the presence of site-appropriate plants shall not be considered a high water use hydrozone.

(2)

For the purposes of the Code, hydrozones shall be grouped into the following hydrozone categories:

a.

High water use hydrozone - typically annuals, grass, and sod;

b.

Medium water use hydrozone - combination of a high and low water use hydrozone; and

c.

Low water use hydrozone - drought tolerant plantings and most trees.

(3)

The combined size of all high water use hydrozones, other than turf areas, shall be limited to twenty percent (20%) of the total landscaped area. In landscapes irrigated with reclaimed (reuse) water, the allowable size of all high water use zones shall not be limited. These high water use limits do not apply to landscaped areas requiring large amounts of turf for their primary functions.

(c)

Tree species. Canopy trees shall be of a species having an average mature crown spread of greater than twenty (20) feet and shall have trunks that can be maintained with over six (6) feet of clear trunk. Trees or palms having an average mature crown spread of less than twenty (20) feet may be substituted by grouping the same so as to create the equivalent of a twenty (20) foot crown spread. Such a grouping shall count as one (1) tree towards meeting tree requirements for any provision herein. Additional tree requirements and considerations are as follows:

(1)

Tree sizes: Tree species shall have a minimum height as shown below at time of installation. Minimum canopy spread shall be characteristic of the species at such height.

a.

Small trees (mature height of less than 15 feet): minimum tree size is 8 feet;

b.

Medium trees (mature height of 15 feet - 25 feet): minimum tree size is 10 feet; and

c.

Large trees (mature height of more than 25 feet): minimum tree size is 12 feet.

(2)

Tree species diversity requirements: Based on the existing and required quantity of total trees required to meet the requirements of the Code for the subject property, the following conditions shall determine the number of differing species that will be required:

Preserved Trees + Existing Trees = Total Required Trees. Therefore, if:

a.

Required trees = 6—10, then a minimum of two (2) species shall be used.

b.

Required trees = 11—20, then a minimum of three (3) species shall be used.

c.

Required trees = 21—50, then a minimum of four (4) species shall be used.

d.

Required Trees = 51 or more, then a minimum of five (5) species shall be used.

These requirements are based on perimeter and interior requirement totals and calculations.

(3)

Credit for existing native and noninvasive trees preserved on a site shall be granted towards meeting the tree requirements of any landscaping provisions of this article. No credit shall be granted for preserved trees that are in extremely poor condition or have a tree condition rating of 5.

(4)

Trees used in the required landscaping adjacent to a public street or swale are subject to approval by the County so that the sustainable character, biological diversity of tree species, and safety of the public street can be maintained, the reduction of the urban heat island effect shall be encouraged, and Complete Streets and "walkable" communities shall be promoted.

(5)

All large trees installed within six (6) feet of public infrastructure shall utilize a root barrier system, as approved by the County. Tree root barriers shall be installed at the sidewalk edge in those circumstances where tree roots are causing, or may potentially cause, a trip hazard because of lifting of some portions of a public sidewalk.

(6)

Tree removal is to be conducted pursuant to Chapter 27, Article XIV, of the Broward County Code of Ordinances.

(d)

Palm species. Palms shall be of a species that has an average mature crown spread of not less than fifteen (15) feet, or may be substituted with smaller palms by grouping the same so as to create the equivalent of a twenty (20) foot crown spread, subject to the following:

(1)

Palms shall have a minimum of six (6) feet of clear trunk or greywood at installation.

(2)

Palms shall constitute no more than thirty-five percent (35%) of the total tree requirements.

(e)

Shrub species. Shrubs used as hedges shall be a minimum height of two (2) feet, full to base, and planted two (2) feet on center when measured immediately after planting. When shrubs are used as a screen around vehicular open space areas, said shrubs shall be a minimum of two (2) feet in height above the vehicular open space pavement surface that directly abuts the shrubs at time of planting and, if within a safe sight distance triangle, shall be no greater than thirty (30) inches in height, in accordance to Section 39-88 of this article. Hedges required as a buffer shall be planted and maintained so as to form a continuous, unbroken solid visual screen, with a minimum height of three (3) feet to be attained within one (1) year after planting. Use of several native species is preferable, but not required. When seen in profile, the upper portion of the hedge shall be narrower than the lower portion.

(f)

Vine species. Vines shall be a minimum of thirty (30) inches in supported height immediately after planting, may be used in conjunction with fences, visual screens, or walls, and shall be planted at ten (10) foot intervals to meet landscape buffer requirements.

(g)

Groundcover species. Groundcover shall be planted with a minimum of fifty percent (50%) coverage, with one hundred percent (100%) coverage occurring within six (6) months after installation.

(h)

Turf. Turf areas shall be sodded using species suitable as permanent lawns in the County. Where appropriate, turf species that require minimum irrigation are encouraged. The type and location of turf areas shall be selected in the same manner as with all the other plantings. Irrigated turf areas, as opposed to nonirrigated turf areas, are considered to be high water use hydrozones. Irrigated turf shall not be treated as a fill-in material but rather as a planned element of the landscape. Turf shall be placed so that it can be irrigated using separate zones.

(1)

Irrigated turf areas shall be consolidated and limited to those areas on the site that receive pedestrian traffic, provide for recreation use, provide cover for septic tank drainfields and required drainfield reserve areas, or provide soil erosion control, such as on slopes or in swales, and, in limited instances, where turf is used as a design unifier or other similar practical use.

(2)

As a matter of public safety, no turf that requires mowing shall be allowed on slopes greater than four-to-one (4:1) or within ten (10) feet of the water's edge, except where adjacent to seawalls and bulkheads or needed to control erosion.

(3)

Turf areas shall be identified on the landscape plan and be subject to the requirement that no more than fifty percent (50%) of the landscaped area for multifamily dwellings and other development uses (excluding single family residences and duplex dwellings, which are subject to the turf requirements set forth in Section 39-85 of this article) may be in turf.

(i)

Sustainable Sites. LEED and Sustainable Sites concepts are encouraged in order to increase Green Infrastructure for sites being developed and to make them more environmentally conducive.

(1)

The Sustainable Sites (SS) LEED category rewards decisions about the environment surrounding the building, with credits that emphasize the vital relationships among buildings, ecosystems, and ecosystem services. It focuses on restoring project site elements, integrating the site with local and regional ecosystems, and preserving the biodiversity relied upon by natural systems.

(2)

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES®) is a program based on the understanding that land is a crucial component of the built environment and can be planned, designed, developed, and maintained to protect and enhance the benefits derived from healthy functioning landscapes.

(Ord. No. 2017-15 , § 10, 5-23-17)