Does Orlando have palm trees?

Can Canary Island Date and Mexican palm trees damage a wall if planted too close?

• I have several Mexican and Canary palms planted around my property. The Mexican palms are about 30 feet tall, while the Canary palms range from 12 to 15 feet. They are all about 17 years old. We are the corner property, and the wall borders the community slope. Recently, the community association advised us that they will be removing and rebuiding the wall around our property. They are replacing the wall because of a soil defect. However, they are requiring me to remove all my palm trees, claiming that they may cause damage to the wall in the future. I agreed to remove 3 of the palm trees that were touching the wall, but do not think it's fair to get rid of the others since they are not touching the wall. I am under the assumption that palm roots are non-invasive and won't affect surrounding architecture. Can someone with vast knowledge of palm trees please help me state my case so I can keep my beautiful palm trees. I feel I'm being pushed around and need some help... thanks!

• Answer:

  Any plant that touches a house can damage it. Wind blows, house's paint or siding gets scratched. We had holly bushes that a previous owner hadn't taken care of, and the outside of the house was scratched irreparably (it was sided with aluminum siding..you don't fix aluminum siding, you replace it!) Roots from the trees will also damage structures. Ever seen a sidewalk that is all broken up because roots grew up under them?