Lethal bronzing is the palm disease that's changed the job in Polk County. It's a phytoplasma — a bacterium without a cell wall — carried palm to palm by a planthopper, Haplaxius crudus, and it was first found in Florida in Hillsborough County in 2006. It's now in more than thirty counties. It kills sabal palms (our state tree), queen palms, Phoenix date palms, pindos and coconuts, and the symptoms are unmistakable once you've seen them: the oldest fronds turn a bronze-brown from the tips, the spear leaf — the newest, unopened frond at the center — dies and can be pulled out, and the whole crown collapses within a few months. There is no cure. A bronzed palm should come out quickly, because every week it stands it's a feeding station for the planthoppers that carry the disease to the next palm.
The other palm removals we do are the usual ones: a queen palm that's outgrown the spot by the pool cage, a Washingtonia that's 70 feet tall and dropping fronds on the roof, a sabal with ganoderma butt rot (the shelf fungus at the base that means the trunk is rotting from the inside), and the palms that Milton or Ian snapped. Palms come down in sections like any tree, but a palm trunk is heavy and wet, there's no branch structure to rig from, and a tall one needs a bucket or a crane. We haul everything — palm fronds don't chip well and a bronzed palm should leave the property — and grind the stump. For the healthy palms nearby, we can refer a licensed applicator for the oxytetracycline trunk injections that prevent infection; they have to be repeated every three to four months and they don't save a palm that's already showing symptoms.
What's included
Lethal bronzing diagnosis
Bronzed lower fronds, a dead spear leaf and a collapsing crown — we confirm it, and the removal goes to the top of the schedule.
Sectioned removal
Trunk taken down in pieces from a bucket or by crane; nothing dropped on the cage or the house.
Ganoderma & storm damage
Butt-rotted sabals and snapped Washingtonias assessed and removed before they fall.
Hauled, not chipped
Fronds and trunk hauled off; diseased material leaves the property.
Stump grinding
Palm stumps ground below grade; 811 called first.
Prevention for the neighbors
Referral to a licensed applicator for OTC injections on the healthy palms nearby.
Palm removal cost in Lakeland, FL
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small palm removal, under 15 ft | $250 – $500 | Pygmy date, young queen |
| Medium palm, 15–30 ft | $500 – $900 | Most queens and sabals |
| Tall palm, 30–60 ft | $900 – $1,500 | Washingtonias, mature sabals |
| Crane-assisted palm removal | $1,500 – $3,500 | No drop zone or over a cage |
| Palm stump grinding | $100 – $250 | Per stump |
| Lethal bronzing injection (referral) | $50 – $100 per palm | Licensed applicator; every 3–4 months |
These are 2026 Polk County ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — the climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time, permit check — and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about palm removal
Is it definitely lethal bronzing?
Bronzing from the oldest fronds upward, fast, with the spear leaf dead, is the signature. Potassium deficiency yellows slowly from the bottom and the spear stays alive; ganoderma shows a shelf fungus at the base. A lab test through UF/IFAS confirms it if you want certainty, but by the time the spear is dead the answer is the same: remove it.
Can the palm be saved?
Not once it's showing symptoms. The injections are preventive — they protect healthy palms nearby — and they have to be repeated indefinitely. For a single prized date palm that's worth it; for a row of queens, most owners replace with a species the disease doesn't hit, like a foxtail or a Bismarck.
Why remove it fast?
The planthoppers feed on infected palms and carry the phytoplasma to the next one. Every week a bronzed sabal stands is a week it's seeding the neighborhood.
Can you plant something in its place?
After grinding the stump and removing the chips, yes. We'd suggest a species lethal bronzing doesn't affect; your landscaper can install it.
Will the HOA require me to replace it?
Many Polk HOAs require a replacement palm or tree; some specify species. We'll give you the removal receipt and the arborist's note on the disease for the board.