50 Christmas trees stolen from Florida lot

PENSACOLA, Fla., Nov. 29 (UPI) -- The owner of a Florida Christmas tree business said more than 50 Fraser firs were stolen from her tree lot in front of a high school baseball field.

Suzanne Eaton, 55, of Pensacola, said an estimated $5,000 worth of premium trees, which sell for as much as $120 each, were stolen Tuesday night from her lot in front of the Tate High School baseball field, the Pensacola New Journal reported Friday.

Eaton, who donates a portion of her proceeds each year to the Tate High baseball team, said buyers should be on the lookout for Fraser firs with dime-sized holes drilled into the bottom of the trunks.

"If you're not selling a tree in a lot like mine, it's not going to have a hole in the bottom," Eaton said. "If someone comes to your door trying to sell you a tree, he probably didn't buy it from a grower."

Eaton said the incident will not put her off selling Christmas trees each year.

"I do this business because once you start it, it's hard to stop," she said. "But I've got to figure out a system to protect what I do have."