Growth has been the defining issue in Wesley Chapel for years. The community's population has grown roughly eightfold since 2001, reaching an estimated 78,400 as of early 2026, according to population data compiled by Wesley Chapel Community.

The approvals keep coming. Five days before the Brooksville vote, Pasco County commissioners on Sept. 9 approved a major expansion of the Two Rivers development along State Road 56. That project clears the way for more than 4,000 single-family homes, 2,500 multifamily units, 1.3 million square feet of retail and a 35-acre surf park, as we reported Sept. 24.

Wesley Chapel, an unincorporated community governed by Pasco County, has no city council of its own to set tree codes or push back on development patterns. Brooksville does.

Brooksville ordinance protects its largest live oaks

The ordinance Hallal and his colleagues advanced focuses on live oaks. It classifies trees by trunk size: oaks 18 inches or wider in caliper become "specimen trees" that cannot be removed without city council approval. Developers who remove live oaks must replace them at escalating ratios based on trunk size, up to 10 inches of new trunk for every inch removed on the largest trees.

Brooksville Mayor Christa Tanner framed the vote as a statement of identity. She said developers have been knocking down trees and asking "for forgiveness after the fact," and that the city's codes had allowed it.

"I don't work for the developer sitting up there, I just don't," Tanner said. "I work for the City of Brooksville to preserve it for our residences."

Real estate agent warns rules will raise housing costs

Not everyone agreed. Buddy Selph, a Brooksville real estate agent, warned during public comment that the rules would raise housing costs. Selph argued that 20% to 25% of new-construction costs are already attributable to government fees.

The ordinance still needs a second reading before it takes effect. The Brooksville City Council has not announced a date for that vote.

No Pasco County commissioner or Wesley Chapel-area official has publicly responded to Hallal's characterization.