The heart of Las Olas Boulevard pictured in March 2020, median trees and all.
Credit: Jesse Scott
Fort Lauderdale’s signature olive trees that bisect Las Olas Boulevard — part of what makes cruising the Strip feel a little leafier and a little less Miami-Vice-speedway — won a temporary reprieve this week after City Commissioners ran out of time to decide their fate.
A vote that was supposed to happen today on whether to remove the median trees in favor of a broad streetscape makeover has been pushed to Tuesday, January 20, as reported by South Florida Sun-Sentinel, giving activists and tree lovers another few weeks to rally (and rally they have).
For years, these shade-giving olives have been at the center of an ongoing saga: city planners argue the design hampers sidewalk space and mobility improvements, while critics — including passionate locals and business owners — say the trees are a historic, aesthetic and environmental anchor worth preserving.
Earlier proposals over the last several seasons included removing the median entirely and replacing it with wider pedestrian zones, though each redesign idea has sparked debate.
With the next vote just weeks away, locals are watching closely to see if this is the year the trees will be chopped (literally).
