Nearly two dozen oak trees have been removed from Mount Dora's downtown area — trees many people say made the city unique.

News 13 viewer Crissy Stile sent us this before-and-after photo set showing the difference on the same road through downtown Mount Dora now and a few years ago.

Residents Tuesday asked the City Council why the change was made, and if some of the oak trees can be brought back.

Hundreds of residents turned up to ask city leaders about the decision to cut down the decades-old oak trees and replace them with shorter palm trees.

The reason, the city said, was related to a road construction plan from 2009 that was only recently implemented, because the root systems of some of the oaks were causing streets and sidewalks to crack and buckle.

Residents we spoke with said when the city's oak trees were taken away, so was much of Mount Dora's charm — and much of its shade.

"We also lose the economic benefit," said Trish Morgan, editor and publisher of the website Mount Dora Buzz. "Many of these stores see a 10 percent to 12 increase in sales due to people wanting to spend more on a tree-lined street."

Though many agreed the large trees were beginning to cause street issues, they wanted smaller oaks put in their place, not palm trees.

"With the palm trees, Mount Dora is every other city in Florida," said Stile, who owns a local business downtown. "It's Daytona Beach. It's Winter Park — you know Winter Park has those beautiful oak trees also — but it's what brings people to Mount Dora."

Members of the "Oak for an Oak" movement have tied green ribbons around the city's remaining oak trees, hoping they will stay.

In the last few weeks, four trees were removed from Donnelly Street.

But not everyone wants to keep the larger oak trees.

"We just don't have the infrastructure to accommodate them. That's all there is to it," said Carroll Jaskulski, who supports the change to smaller palms.

The road construction — and the entire project — should be done by the end of the summer, one many residents hope doesn't change the downtown landscape even more.

"So generations can enjoy the same Mount Dora that we've enjoyed all this time," said Morgan.

The city said it's contracted with the landscaper to plant more palm trees this summer, but after Tuesday’s meeting, city leaders may talk with the landscaper to see if some of those palms can be switched out with a few small oaks.