My neighbor's trees were a huge safety hazard - even the homeowner said they were 'butchered' but we won with risky move
Olivia House
Published Sep 30, 2026
A GROUP of neighbors have banned together to hold a power company responsible for making their trees a safety hazard.
Neighbors of Riverside Heights in Tampa, Florida were concerned for their safety after the Tampa Electric Company’s contractors allegedly caused a tree to lean on a powerline.
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“They have been butchering the trees. Everybody has complained to each other, the neighbors, and if you drive through you can see it,” Elizabeth Silicato, whose trees had become a cause for concern told NBC local affiliate WFLA-TV.
After a major storm, residents believe that the power company trimmed the trees in a very lopsided manner, causing them to lean on an electric line and become a serious risk to the residents.
“Well, there’s a safety issue because it’s half cut, the tree’s unbalanced, so any strong wind, any heavy rains, it’s going to make that branch touch, the line is going to come down,” said Ramon Lopez.
Residents tried to explain the issue to the power company, but it didn't help.
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TECO explained to the new station that homeowners are responsible for the trees on their property, even if the tree impacts the service line that they provided.
Lopez, concerned for his neighbor, filed a complaint on the electric company.
When employees came back to evaluate the situation, they reiterated that the trees were the homeowner's responsibility.
However, residents did not take this situation lying down, they called the local news station and explained the situation.
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Two days after the story broke, the power company removed the trees.
“The trees were directly under our power lines, and they were in poor health. We worked with the homeowner and made the decision to remove them,” a spokesperson for TECO told the network.
Lopez believed that getting the story out there, pushed TECO to do something about the trees.
“News Channel 8 was the one that made a difference,” said Ramon Lopez.
He continued, saying that he hopes in the future that tree-related issues will be easier to manage when it comes to working with the company.
“They need to be changed. Add a little more common sense. And whoever they have looking at the trees, buy them some new glasses or something,” he said.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Tampa Electric for comment
