Here is another great website which gives so much information on how you can make a difference...today. http://befloridiannow.org/ Who They Are: You could call them the Florida East Coast Society for Preserving Florida for Boating, Fishing, and Drinks with Little Umbrellas. Be Floridian Now is calling on all Floridians to help protect what makes Florida so fun. Unless newcomers learn that the rules for yard work are a little different here, we will spoil the reason so many of us enjoy living here. In Florida, summer rains don’t water fertilizer in — they wash it off our lawns and into our rivers, lagoon, and ocean. The excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the water feeds algae blooms that use up oxygen, kill fish and turn the water the color of pea soup. As more and more people move to our area, the problem gets bigger and bigger. So help us make sure everyone knows to skip the fertilizer this summer. Together, we Floridians can protect our fun by saving our rivers, lakes, and estuaries one yard at a time. Be Floridian Now is co-branded as the east coast version of Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s original and brilliant Be Floridian program. The Tampa Bay partners graciously allowed the east coast partners to customize the Be Floridian website for Florida’s east coast. Be Floridian Now! really motivates you to start a new lawn project. So, are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you are interested in Florida Friendly Landscaping, here are some great sites to get you started: How much time can you dedicate to a project? http://befloridiannow.org/quick-start/ A Florida Friendly Plant Database, Interactive Yard, Landscaping 101 can be found here: http://www.floridayards.org/ http://www.fnps.org/ http://www.floridafriendlyplants.com/ Great gardening blogs with beautiful pictures to inspire you! http://www.hoeandshovel.com/ http://centralfloridagardener.blogspot.com/ Tip - How to Go Floridian in an HOA. 2016 Florida HOA laws protect your right to design your own Florida Friendly lawn: 720.3075 (4)(a) Here are tips to deal with your HOA: http://befloridiannow.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Resources_BFNHOA_How-To.pdf With more counties adopting the strong version of the fertilizer ordinance, it's time to look at beautiful and native alternatives. What's my county fertilizer ordinance? https://sites.google.com/site/fertilizeruseintheirlwatershed/fertilizer-ordinances Let's make a difference, one yard at a time. Thank you, Jennifer Smith