FNGLA Announces 2019 Landscape Award Winners

October 1, 2019

Orlando, FL - A select handful of exceptional landscape projects across Florida were honored in September during The 2019 Landscape Show in Orlando. Landscape contractors, designers and architects were recognized for their outstanding projects which included new landscape installations, renovations, and maintenance undertakings.

Presented to the year’s impressive entries were three top-tier accolades: FNGLA’s Roy Rood Award, FNGLA’s Floriculture Award, and the Florida-Friendly Landscape™ Award.

Eight Environmental Stewardship recognitions were also bestowed upon projects in acknowledgment of their effective environmental stewardship, ecological sustainability and/or adaptation to local conditions (e.g., wetland mitigations, dune or wildlife habitat restorations, re-establishment/enhancement of conservation areas or natural preserves).

The FNGLA Landscape Awards Program was established in 1970 to recognize landscape excellence in Florida. Forty-nine years later, FNGLA is still celebrating "the best of the best" by recognizing projects and businesses which excel in creating some of the best landscapes in Florida.

Here are the 2019 winners:

Roy Rood Award - Villa De Plantas, Pensacola, FL

Landscape Contractor: Heroman Services Plant Co. and Outdoor Expressions
Landscape Architect: Cerys Heroman, RLA, Heroman Services Plant Company, and Allan Sturletz, RLA, Creative Scapes, Inc.

The objective was to create from over an acre of undeveloped waterfront property a Mediterranean landscape to complement the recently renovated, nineteenth century-inspired Spanish farmhouse.

Floriculture Award

Villa De Plantas, Pensacola, FL

Landscape Contractors: Heroman Services Plant Co. and Outdoor Expressions
Landscape Architect: Cerys Heroman, RLA, Heroman Services Plant Company, and Allan Sturletz, RLA, Creative Scapes, Inc.

The objective was to create from over an acre of undeveloped waterfront property a Mediterranean landscape to complement the recently renovated, nineteenth century-inspired Spanish farmhouse.

Florida Friendly Landscaping™ Award

1915 Sheffield Avenue Residence, Marco Island, FL

Landscape Contractor and Designer: Andrew Kirlin

Objective and challenges included using as many continuously blooming year-round, or most of year blooming, long-life plants and trees as possible all together in order to maximize landscaping color without looking messy or weedy.

Landscape Installation/Renovation Award

Category: Government – Public (2 winners)

S.R. 408 Raised Median Project

Landscape Contractor: Groundtek of Central Florida
Landscape Architect: Central FL Expressway Authority

During the 2007 widening of SR 408 through downtown Orlando, over two miles of raised median planters filled with a wide variety of plant material were created.

A1A Oakland Park to Flamingo

Landscape Contractor: Landscape Service Pros
Landscape Architect: Atkins North America, Inc.

This project was the redesign of the sidewalks, bike lanes, medians, and paver walkways along A1A from E. Oakland Park Blvd. to Flamingo Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.

Category: Residential (2 winners)

Villa De Plantas, Pensacola, FL

The objective was to create, from over an acre of undeveloped waterfront property, a Mediterranean landscape to complement the recently renovated, nineteenth century-inspired Spanish farmhouse.

McCain Residence, Vero Beach, FL

Landscape Contractor: Hayslip Landscape
Landscape Architect: August Schwartz

This newly constructed residence, on a half-acre, 100 foot-wide property faces ocean-fronting east, a challenging environment for landscapes.

Landscape Irrigation Award

Category: New Install

8^th Avenue Expansion, Newberry, FL

Landscape Contractor: Big Trees Plantation, Newberry
Landscape Designer: Ed Bravo, Big Trees Plantation, Newberry, FL

The objective was to transition from hundreds of acres of green spaces, street treescapes, and pedestrian landscape esplanades with traditional irrigation sprays and rotors to full compliance with the Florida Water Star criteria separating high and low volume irrigation.

Landscape Maintenance Award

Category - Residential

Riverwalk at Lago Mar, Plantation, FL

Landscape Contractor: Landscape Service Professionals, Inc.

Riverwalk at Lago Mar is a small, but high-end townhouse community within Plantation, Florida.

Special Project

Future Builders of America Leadership Summit, Haines City, FL

Landscape Contractor: Volunteers and students
Landscape Designer: Stefan Liopiros, Big Trees Plantation, Gainesville, FL

This project to beautify the front-facing side of this training facility was 100 percent volunteer-conceived and completed. It was implemented over the course of a year in three phases. In addition to the new landscape plants, a paver walkway between buildings was also installed. Student and teacher volunteers from the Future Builders of America, were under the direction during different phases by industry professionals including: Stefan Liopiros (Big Trees Plantation); Will Womack (Southern Garden Solutions); Ed Bravo (Big Trees Plantation); JR Reiner (Reliable Peat); and, Maria Muhlhahn (West Bay Landscape). the entire project was coordinated by FNGLA with plants, supplies, tools and irrigation materials donated by FNGLA members.

Environmental Stewardship Recognitions

Donor Island, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens – Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens/Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
S.R. 408 Raised Median Project – Orlando – Central Florida Expressway Authority/Groundtek of Central Florida
8^th Avenue Expansion – Newberry, FL – Ed Bravo/Big Trees Plantation
1915 Sheffield Avenue Residence – Marco Island, FL – Andrew Kirlin
Future Builders of America Leadership Summit – Haines City, FL – Students and volunteers: Lawn Enforcement Agency/Southern Garden Solutions/Big Tree Plantations/Reliable Peat/West Bay Landscape
S.R. 429/ S.R. 414 System Interchange Landscape Improvements Phase II – Central Florida Expressway Authority/ Arazoza Brothers Corp
Babcock Neighborhood School – Babcock Ranch, FL – Waldrop Engineering, R. Grant Wilbanks P.A./O’Donnell Landscape Inc.
Main Entry Rejuvenation Project – Bonita Springs, FL – Bruce Howard and Associates/O’Donnell Landscape Inc.