Tree Resources for Florida Community Association Managers
O'Neil's Tree Service provides the Florida CAM Tree Playbook, continuing education classes, and direct access to a Board Certified Master Arborist for community association managers in Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough Counties. These tools are free. They are built for the specific documentation, liability, and vendor evaluation challenges CAMs deal with every day.
Get the Florida CAM Tree Playbook
The Playbook is a free PDF built specifically for CAMs managing properties with mature tree canopy in Florida. It covers what to look for in a tree inspection, what to ask an arborist before you hire one, how to document tree conditions for board meetings, and how to build a defensible paper trail that protects the community if something goes wrong.
Fill out the form below. The Playbook downloads immediately on the next page, and you will receive information about upcoming CE classes and our Ask-an-Arborist program.
What Is in the Florida CAM Tree Playbook
The Playbook is a practical field reference, not a textbook. Everything in it is designed to be used during a site walk, in a vendor meeting, or at a board presentation. Six sections, all with photos and examples.
- Annual Tree Inspection Checklist: A one-page walk form with photos showing exactly what to look for and flag: branch tips without foliage, sharp V-shaped unions at branch attachments, long heavy branches with poor taper, limbs larger than 30 percent of the stem they are attached to, and evidence of root cuts. Plain language throughout. Designed to produce a paper trail you can bring to the board.
- What to Ask Before You Hire a Tree Company: Ten questions written to expose the companies that cut corners. Includes why “we have never damaged anything” is a red flag, how to verify workers compensation coverage is real and not an exemption form, and how to confirm every person on the crew is actually covered by the policy they claim.
- Florida Tree Ordinance Reference: The actual language of F.S. 163.045 as amended in 2022, with a plain-language explanation of what it means for HOA common areas, who qualifies to provide the required documentation, and what the permit exemption does and does not cover.
- Storm Prep Checklist: A pre-season checklist for getting community trees assessed and pruned before June 1. Covers what to prioritize, what documentation to request from your arborist, and what to have in hand before the first named storm.
- Documenting Tree Risk for the Board: How to present tree risk in plain language, what a proper written arborist report contains versus what most companies actually send you, and why documentation before and after a storm or incident is the difference between a defensible HOA and a costly one.
- Vendor Evaluation Checklist: Insurance requirements, credential verification steps, what a professional written proposal must include, and what to do if a company cannot produce any of these. Includes examples of what a thorough proposal looks like versus what most companies send.
Continuing Education for Florida CAMs
Apollo O’Neil teaches continuing education classes approved for Florida CAM CE credit throughout Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough Counties. We come to your office, bring lunch, and deliver the class on-site. You get your CE credit without leaving the building.
We rotate through three classes so we can return to the same office each year without repeating content. Once a third class is approved, we can cycle through all three on a three-year rotation, or develop additional topics as needed.
Physics and what... Trees
One hour. One general CE credit. This class covers the physics of how trees stand, how they fail, and what structural pruning actually does to reduce that risk. It is indoor, presentation-based, with photos from real jobs so you can recognize the conditions we are talking about when you see them on your properties.
You will leave knowing what to flag during a property walk, how to evaluate what a tree company is recommending and whether it makes structural sense, and how to explain tree risk to a board in terms they can act on. No field component. Printed reference materials available.
We schedule classes as offices request them. Contact us through this page or call (727) 599-7548 to get on the schedule.
Upcoming Classes
Additional CE classes are in development on the following topics: tree risk assessment fundamentals for property managers, including how to spot structural defects during a site walk; storm prep and post-storm triage for community associations; signs of tree disease in Florida and what to look for; and infrastructure conflicts, what to do before and after tree roots have damaged sidewalks, pavement, or underground utilities.
Physics and what… Trees is the only currently approved class. The additional topics above are in development and not yet approved. Register your interest when you download the Playbook and we will notify you when new classes are scheduled for your area.
Ask an Arborist
Playbook subscribers get access to our Ask-an-Arborist program. If you are looking at a tree on a property you manage and are not sure what you are seeing, send us a photo and a description. An ISA Certified Arborist from our team will respond within one business day.
This is not a substitute for a formal site assessment, and we will tell you when a situation requires one. It is a way to get a knowledgeable second opinion before you call a crew, spend money on an inspection, or bring something to the board.
There is no limit on questions. The more you ask the better we understand what you are managing, and the more useful we can be when it matters.
Why CAMs Work with O'Neil's
Managing trees across multiple HOA communities is not the same as residential tree work. The liability exposure is higher, the documentation requirements are more demanding, and the cost of hiring the wrong company does not end when the job does. HOA communities get pulled into lawsuits over tree damage, injuries, and worse. The wrong hire can drive insurance increases that strain already tight budgets for years.
Hiring the right company from the start is the easier and cheaper path.
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Apollo O'Neil holds the Board Certified Master Arborist credential (BCMA FL-6102B), the highest individual certification issued by ISA
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Multiple ISA Certified Arborists on staff, including TRAQ-qualified personnel for formal risk assessment and written reporting
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Full general liability and workers' compensation insurance covering all employees; no leased employees, no subcontractors without verified coverage; certificates provided on request
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Written proposals and scopes of work on every job
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Arborist reports, tree inventories, expert witness services, and board-ready documentation available through our consulting services
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Based in Palm Harbor; serving Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough Counties since 2008
Request An Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Fill out the form on this page and it downloads immediately on the next page. We ask for your management company and portfolio size because it helps us make sure the follow-up content we send is relevant to what you actually manage. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Physics and what… Trees is approved for one general CE credit toward Florida CAM license renewal. We will add the approval body, credit category, and documentation details to this page once confirmed. If you need that information before registering, contact us at (727) 599-7548.
Physics and what… Trees is a one-hour indoor class delivered at your office. We bring lunch. The presentation is photo-based, shown on a large screen or projector, with real job examples so you can recognize what we are discussing when you see it on your properties. No field component. Printed reference materials available if you would like them. We schedule classes as offices request them, contact us to get on the schedule.
Once you have downloaded the Playbook, you will receive a separate email with instructions for submitting a tree question. Send a photo and a brief description of what you are seeing. An ISA Certified Arborist from our team will respond within one business day. This is a general guidance program, not a formal assessment. If a situation requires a site visit and written report, we will tell you.
Yes. We work with CAMs and HOA boards throughout Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough Counties on everything from annual pruning programs to formal tree risk assessments, arborist reports, expert witness services, and board-ready documentation. If you manage multiple communities, contact us to discuss how we structure commercial relationships.
