PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Hot pavement, blazing sun and little relief in sight.
As South Florida pushes through another brutal summer, local leaders and environmental groups across Palm Beach County say one solution is becoming impossible to ignore: more shade.
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From tree giveaways to shaded parks and playgrounds, cities and nonprofits are racing to cool down neighborhoods that experts say are falling short on tree canopy coverage.
WPTV's Joel Lopez spoke with Palm Beach County's Parks and Recreation department who told him the number one need they hear from people, aside from beach access, is shade.
Out on the streets, residents are already feeling the effects of the extreme heat.
“How would you describe the weather right now,” Lopez asked a woman in Downtown Lake Worth Beach.
“I would describe like lava,” said Dalya Alerte pointing out she was sweating as she made her way to the beach.
Community Greening, a South Florida nonprofit says conditions will only worsen unless cities act now.
“Oh everywhere, everywhere in south Florida needs more trees,” said Josh Weiner, director of communications and engagement for Community Greening.
“Adequate tree canopy coverage is around the 30%-40% range and virtually every city in Palm Beach County is at least in the 20% and most are lower,” Weiner said.
The nonprofit has helped plant and give away nearly 30,000 trees across Palm Beach, Broward and parts of Martin County over the past decade.
The organization marked its 10-year anniversary on Aug. 3 after being founded by two South Florida residents who noticed rapid development was outpacing tree planting efforts.
“There is so much opportunity to plant more trees it’s only getting hotter,” Weiner said.
In his interview with WPTV, Weiner explained why trees are considered “critical green infrastructure.”
“Neighborhoods that have adequate tree canopy coverage are on average 7 to 10 degrees cooler than the neighborhoods right next to them that don't have that adequate tree canopy coverage,” he said. “And that even includes at nighttime once the sun is out of the way.”
Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation recently partnered with Community Greening to plant 1,000 trees at Dyer Park in West Palm Beach.
The county has also started installing additional shade structures, including new coverings over bleachers at Sandalfoot Cove Park in Boca Raton.
For many residents, those improvements can’t come fast enough.
“People should have an enjoyable space to at least go and sit in the hot summer days its awful,” said Denise Andrews during a Let’s Hear It community event where she told us about exposed bus stops in Boynton Beach.
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But city leaders told WPTV's Vannia Joseph the challenge is that most bus stops don’t have enough room to build a structure.
“I’m just sitting here in the heat while they running around having fun,” said Michelle Jones while watching her three children at a playground in South Bay.
South Bay was also part of a much larger effort that lost momentum last year after federal funding cuts derailed a major tree initiative in the Glades.
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The “Resilient Glades Tree Campaign” aimed to revitalize tree canopy coverage in South Bay, Belle Glade, Pahokee and Canal Point by planting 2,000 trees at county parks and hosting eight giveaway events. The project was expected to receive roughly $1 million before funding was cut by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Community Greening had only completed part of the project before the cuts hit.
“We were able to still find some outside funding to do execute some of those events and some of those projects,” Weiner told WPTV. “The demand is there. The need is off the charts. It's just trying to find the funders to make all these projects happen.”
Even so, Weiner says the organization plans to continue expanding efforts in the Glades later this fall.
In Lake Worth Beach, Mayor Betty Resch says her city is also prioritizing shade improvements downtown and along the waterfront.
“We do have a lot of people walking and biking downtown, and we’re trying to see where can we put more trees,” Resch said.
She credited the group Neighbors Encouraging Shade Trees for helping plant additional trees at Bryant Park, especially near playground areas where natural shade was limited.
Resch also said the city continues to deal with residents illegally removing trees without permits — violations that can carry fines.
“Trees are very important to the city. We’re doing our best and not just for shade, listen to the birds listen to the habitat for nature,” Resch said. “You plant a tree not for you for the next generation, If I could have the entire city of Lake Worth under a tree canopy I'd be the happiest girl in the world.”
Community Greening’s next tree giveaway is scheduled for Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. at Halpatiokee Regional Park in Martin County.
The nonprofit is also partnering with the city of Boca Raton to plant 100 native shade trees along El Rio Trail on Sept. 19 beginning at 9 a.m.
