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Florida Town Gets Tough On Landscaping In Denham Springs, Florida, the City Council strengthened its controversial landscaping ordinance despite a threat from the audience to seek recall elections for any council members who voted for the move. Most of the comments focused on a portion of the existing ordinance that gives the city the power to revoke the certificate of occupancy of businesses that "fail to maintain landscaping in accordance with approved landscape plans." While the city has never resorted to it, according to the town mayor, the city recently used the threat on a business that wasn't complying. Opponents said the ordinance gives the city too much power. Barbara Cansler spoke for the opposition when she said the city should not have the power to revoke a business's certificate of occupancy that doesn't maintain its landscaping. Conversely, the president of the Garden Club, Betty Amacker, said the city is booming and doesn't need non-complying businesses. Dr. Doug Strickland said he's concerned about how a future administration might use the ordinance. The proposal adds to the ordinance a requirement that five percent of small developments and 10 percent of large developments must be devoted to green space. Florida Water Restrictions Cities Forced To Cut Back On Landscaping A new Florida state policy limiting how much can be spent on landscaping has some cities enraged. This year state legislators told the Florida Department of Transportation they could only spend 1.5 percent of construction funding on landscaping. To comply, landscaping planned for many road improvement projects were eliminated. Projects that will receive landscaping have to be at major gateways and corridors and are limited to tall trees and sod. Information Request # 406 36 LC DBM Every year, the planning organization of Palm Beach County set aside more than $400,000 for beautification projects but that money has reportedly gone away. Boca Raton lost state funding for an $800,000 landscaping project for Glades Road and Interstate 95. "We think it's important to the city – as one of the major entryways to the city – to have something attractive and welcoming to Boca Raton, as opposed to Bahia grass that's cut infrequently," said Assistant City Manager Mike Woika. Riviera Beach officials were disappointed when the state changed one of their land- scaping designs from ground covers and ir- rigated St. Augustine sod to Bahia sod with no irrigation. A recent Suwannee River Water Manage- ment District's order for water regulation now limits outdoor water usage to once a week for citizens residing within district lim- its. Even with recent rains, the groundwater levels in 92 percent of Suwannee River Dis- trict's upper Floridan aquifer monitor wells were recorded in the bottom 10 percent of all recorded measurements. As a result, John Dinges, SRWMD's Direc- tor of Water Supply and Resource Manage- ment, said the organization encourages Flor- ida-friendly landscaping – water-conserving native plants. "We are really emphasizing the water saving nature of Florida-friendly land- scaping," he said. "It is a trend for those who are exploring alternatives," said Nichelle Demorest, Hor- ticulture Agent at the University of Florida IFAS Extension office. "I think people are becoming more and more aware of Florida- friendly landscaping." Low-Water Grass Alternatives According to Nichelle Demorest, Horticulture Agent at the University of Florida IFAS Extension office, St. Augustine and Bahia grasses require a lot of water, but Centipede lawns require less water. Native species such as love grass, mimosa, cast iron plant and mondo grass also require less water and are more resistant to pests than non-native species.