Here in Coral Gables, they actually tell you you can't cut your own trees. Even trees you planted. If it's a native tree or a tree the government likes, it stays.
Unbelievable.
Here's what you do. You find an unscrupulous tree guy, and he takes a 3/8" bit and drills holes into your tree. Then he tells the city it was a boring beetle, and the tree has to come down. I don't know the specifics. Apparently for a tree, this is like AIDS.
I used to work for a tree guy back in the distant past, and I remember when he showed me this strategy. We went to a house where the owner wanted to get rid of a poinciana or something similar. The tree guy pointed to the hole and told me to check out the beetle damage. I asked him what kind of beetle did that. He said, "Sears Craftsman."
I don't know what the penalty for tree murder is. I'm sure they take it more seriously than they should. Public-minded people are always such morons and pests. It's never about common sense and promoting prosperity and freedom. It's always about telling other people what to do.