Beautification Landscaping Grants for Polk County, Florida

Florida-Friendly Landscaping

• Florida-Friendly Landscaping refers to sustainable landscape practices that conserve water resources. The concept was recognized in the Florida Legislature in 2009 with a statute that protects the landscaping method from being prohibited by local ordinances or residential development associations.

Florida Yards and Neighborhoods

• Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles are promoted to the public through partnerships guided by The University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Florida Yards and Neighorhoods is the residential component of the UF/IFAS program. FYN offers workshops and consultations to homeowners with the goal of instilling the Florida-Friendly Landscaping ethic into the residential landscape. Community outreach initiatives receive funding from federal and state sources, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida's Water Management Districts, and municipal and county governments and utilities.

Florida-Friendly Beautification

• Florida-Friendly Landscaping has a strong aesthetic component. With its emphasis on water-efficient and native plantings the public landscape is being transformed. Educational outreach includes extensive design and cultivation advice to the public-at-large toward a sustainable Florida landscape. The Southwest Florida Water Management District funded five such educational programs in Polk County in the first half of 2011 alone.