My Bismarck was planted about 2 years ago. At that time, it had three full fronds and a center spike. Within 2 months it looked like it was dead. The three frond turned completely brown and just the center spike remained. I cut off the dead fronds and left the center spike. At about 6 months the center spike split and opened into three fronds and looked great. Now, I've got three, maybe four, fronds ready to open but the original are looking very weathered. I've read that you should leave the frond alone until it fully dies out, but my concern is that these lower fronds are pulling away from the central trunk, at an angle of about 45°, and I'm concerned it might damage the tree. Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.

I understand the "don't cut 'em off until they're dead" logic. In my area, fresh cut green leaves can invite palm weevils & other nasty pathogens. But... I'm also balancing the amount of air circulation required in a densely planted garden, as well as the aesthetics. If the palm is robustly growing, that's a leaf I'd remove if it were in my garden. But I'd also treat afterward with tree wound dressing just to cover the bases. Again, that's just me. I know there are a lot of people who might disagree. So that's my disclaimer..

Your Bismarckia looks fine. If you can leave it on without it being in your way, leave it until it’s dry. It will not damage anything by hanging down. The only thing would be if someone were mowing and tore it off. That would be worse than just pruning it. The bed is somewhat undersized and it’s understandable. The palm was probably about that big around when you planted it. Of course, a Bismarckia crown can be much larger and will likely increase its width. Until it grows tall enough for that to not interfere with lawn care, you might want to increase the size of the bed.

I am probably 5 miles from parrish. These are easy to grow here. leave it alone, when the rains come or when we can turn the irrigation back on 2 days a week they will open. We have been in an extended drought, so not much root development has occurred. You also have very lush looking grass and that is likely bad for your bismarckia that like to grow deep roots. When you water frequently, the soil can be water logged near the top and this suffocates the deep roots. My best advice without actually seeing your palm is to space out watering intervals and water for a longer time. I would not remove a leaf that is not at least half browned out. The palm will retrieve its precious fluid(like our blood) as it gives up the leaf. Thta fluid takes time and energy to produce so overtrimming generally leads to mild setbacks and stunted growth. This is also true for overwatering(as in every 2 days in a lawn). The grass around my bismarckia is not very happy these days. But my bizzie is very happy. Bismarckia do well here with 2 days a week irrigation and once mature they mostly dont need irrigation.