Ersi Braun told Local 6 she misses her three towering queen palms, not only the shade but also the beauty.
"The crown part was not growing and everything around it was just falling off," said Braun, a resident of Casselberry's Lakehurst subdivision.
Braun had three queen palms, each of them 14 years old. She called in an expert to diagnose the wilting and was told she had to cut them down.
"The beauty of the home was gone," said Braun. "Because the palm trees in this state, that's what's beautiful to look at."
Braun's trees likely suffered from a fungal infection known as Fusarium Wilt. According to the University of Florida IFAS Extension, Fusarium Wilt affects the queen palm and the Mexican fan palm.
"Whole communities are losing their queen palms," said Celeste White, Orange County Extension Agent.
White said palms in entire neighborhoods in Orange and Polk counties have been wiped out.
"It's an airborne disease," said Doug Dickerman, owner of Paradigm Outdoor, pointing to an infected tree adjacent to a healthy one. "So, it could be picked up by a bird and be brought over there. The wind is traveling in that direction right now. This is a huge problem."
Dickerman said the infection is spreading so rapidly that he will no longer plant queen palms in new landscaping jobs.
"The entire state is experiencing this problem right now," said Dickerman.
White explained that Fusarium Wilt has been in Florida for around eight years but admits lately it seems to be killing more trees.
The residents of Lakehurst are worried the infected palms at the grand front entrance of their community will continue to spread to their front yards.
"It is an issue," said Braun. "The neighborhood will never look the same because everyone has queen palms."
Fusarium Wilt kills palms from the inside out. Typical signs include a yellowing and/or browning of the leaves, sometimes on one side, eventually spreading to the entire tree. The tree becomes "freeze-dried" and dies within months, sometimes weeks.
There is no cure.
"If these trees have the fungal infection that is plaguing Central Florida right now, then it's the equivalent of the HIV virus," said Dickerman. "There is no cure for it. So you just cut the tree down."
Dickerman said the only way to slow the spread is to disinfect tools in between pruning different trees. He uses bleach and water.
Dickerman suggests homeowners insist anyone who touches their trees also disinfect pruning tools.
"There is no saving the queen palm once it has the fungal infection," 'said Dickerman.