sylvester freeze damage?

[Cajunjimbo]

I live in south louisiana and we got down to the low to mid teens during the february event.  My sylvester has all the fornds damaged,  which I will have removed in the next week or so.  It looks like we have new growth from the crown so I feel optimistic.  We got down to the mid teens three years ago and the palm came back fine, however, this time I have bark that is falling off.  I don't know if it's related to the freeze or coincidental and if this is an issue or a normal characteristic.  Any insight is appreciated.  Thanks. 

[Merlyn]

It isn't unusual for Sylvesters to lose the old boots.  I see it around Orlando all the time, and at least here it's not related to freezes.  If you tug on a few of the ones in place I bet that many of them will be loose.  My best guess is that frost/sleet/snow forced some of them loose, and then they started falling off like dominoes.  I'd check the trunk and make sure it's still solid, especially where the boots are missing.  If it is solid, then there's no need for alarm.  If it is squishy or smells like rotten garbage, then there's probably a fungal infection in the trunk.  A copper-based fungicide, sulfur powder, or a systemic like Banrot (etradizole + thiophanate-methyl) may be a good treatment if there's some squishiness.

[Collectorpalms]

It could be cold, but equally likely it is the result of old boots and a humid rainy environment.