Kate, I am a bit of a palm collector and you caught my attention when you mentioned a California fan palm, which is also called the desert fan palm and is in fact a Washingtonia filifera. They are pretty rare in Florida as they don't like our humid climate. What is common here is the Mexican fan palm or the Washingtonia robusta. Seeing a W. filifera in Florida would be exciting for me.
Another thing you mentioned is the famous hurricane cut where they butcher the plant so badly that only a couple of fronds are left. This is one of the worst possible things you can do to a palm. Lower fronds store nutrients that are passed up to the newer leaves, especially potassium. Eliminating nutrients your tree needs will weaken it and cause it to be more susceptible to hurricane force winds, not less. Palm trimmers who do that have not taken the UF training classes and are most likely not state certified.
Now I'll take my Master Gardener hat off and leave you in peace.
Jim
