Landscape Architect Miami FL
Licensed Landscape Architecture, Land Planning & Irrigation Design for Miami and South Florida Development Projects
Miami is one of the most dynamic—and technically demanding—development markets in the United States. The combination of some of the lowest urban elevations in North America, an aggressive hurricane threat window, limerock and marl soils with minimal permeability, a robust urban tree canopy ordinance, and one of the country’s most complex coastal regulatory environments makes landscape architecture in Miami-Dade County a specialized discipline. Getting it right from the start matters more here than in almost any other market.
Evergreen Design Group is a Florida-licensed landscape architecture firm (FL License 6666711) that has been delivering land planning, landscape architecture, and irrigation design for development projects since 2005. We work directly with architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors on commercial, mixed-use, multifamily, master-planned community, and civic projects throughout Miami, Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and the broader South Florida region. We don’t design projects for homeowners. Our practice is built around the professional development community.
Why Miami Is One of the Most Technically Complex Landscape Architecture Markets in the Country
Sea Level Rise, High Water Table, and Chronic Flooding
Miami sits at an average elevation of roughly six feet above sea level, with significant portions of Miami-Dade County at or below three feet. The Biscayne Aquifer underlies much of the region, creating a water table that can be just inches below grade in low-lying areas. Tidal flooding—often called “sunny day flooding”—is already affecting streets and infrastructure in neighborhoods like Brickell, Coconut Grove, and Miami Beach. For landscape architects, this means drainage and stormwater management are primary design drivers that shape grading strategy, plant selection, hardscape material specification, and infrastructure coordination from the very first site analysis. Our work integrates directly with civil engineering drainage design, incorporating solutions calibrated to Miami-Dade’s specific hydrological conditions and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) permitting requirements.
Limerock and Marl Soils
Unlike most of Florida, South Florida’s native substrate is shallow limerock and Miami limestone, often overlaid by marl—a dense, poorly draining mixture of clay, silt, and calcium carbonate. These soils present real challenges for plant establishment, root development, and irrigation performance. Soil amendment strategies, raised planting beds, and species selection calibrated to South Florida’s specific substrate conditions are standard elements of our Miami planting plans.
Hurricane Exposure and Wind-Load Design
Miami sits squarely in the Atlantic hurricane belt. Miami-Dade County’s building and landscaping standards reflect that reality—including wind-load requirements that affect tree anchorage, hardscape anchoring, and the structural design of site amenity elements. Our planting specifications prioritize species with documented wind resistance, appropriate root architecture, and salt spray tolerance for projects across the Miami metro.
Miami-Dade Urban Tree Canopy Requirements
Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami both administer detailed tree protection and replacement requirements. The county’s Urban Tree Canopy Ordinance establishes canopy coverage minimums and mitigation requirements for tree removal, while the City of Miami’s Urban Forestry Division enforces additional requirements within city limits. For development projects that involve any significant site clearing, tree disposition planning is not optional—and the documentation needs to be thorough enough to support both city and county review processes.
Tropical and Subtropical Plant Management
Miami’s tropical climate supports a broad palette of plant material, but it also sustains aggressive invasive species—Brazilian pepper, Australian pine, Old World climbing fern, and others—that are regulated under Miami-Dade County’s Environmental Resources Management programs. Planting plans for Miami development projects need to specify compliant species, address invasive removal where required, and select material that performs over the long term in South Florida’s heat, humidity, and salt exposure.
South Florida Water Management District Permitting
The SFWMD Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) program governs stormwater management for development projects across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. For projects that involve significant impervious area, wetland impacts, or proximity to Biscayne Bay or the Everglades system, SFWMD coordination is a critical component of the design and permitting process. Our team has experience navigating SFWMD requirements and structuring landscape and drainage design to support efficient permit reviews.
Landscape Architecture Services in Miami, FL
Evergreen Design Group delivers a complete scope of landscape architecture and related design services for development projects throughout Miami and South Florida. We function as a single-source partner—one firm accountable for the full landscape scope, from initial land planning and tree disposition through permit-ready construction documents.
We analyze site topography, drainage constraints, soil conditions, regulatory setbacks, canopy requirements, and adjacent land use to develop land plans that support your project’s development strategy and move efficiently through Miami-Dade County and City of Miami review processes. For larger or more complex sites, our land planning work establishes the spatial and regulatory framework that the full design team builds on.
Miami-Dade County and City of Miami tree ordinance requirements make professionally prepared tree disposition plans a standard component of the development permit package. We document existing trees, identify protected and specimen trees, establish canopy calculations, and develop preservation and mitigation strategies that satisfy the applicable review authority—whether that’s Miami-Dade County DERM, the City of Miami Urban Forestry Division, or a municipality with its own tree ordinance requirements.
Our Miami planting plans are developed around species that perform in South Florida’s specific conditions—tropical and subtropical natives, salt-tolerant selections for coastal and near-coastal sites, and wind-resistant species for hurricane-exposed locations. We coordinate directly with your civil engineer on grading and drainage and deliver construction documents at a level of detail that supports contractor bidding and field execution without extensive interpretation.
Our licensed irrigation designers develop complete, code-compliant irrigation systems calibrated to South Florida’s rainfall patterns, reclaimed water system requirements, and SFWMD water use permit conditions. Miami’s tropical rainfall cycle creates specific challenges for irrigation zoning and scheduling—over-irrigation is as problematic as under-irrigation in this climate, particularly for sites with poor-draining marl or limerock substrates.
From pool decks and waterfront promenades to pedestrian plazas, amenity centers, trail systems, and entry features, our hardscape designs are engineered for Miami’s climate and use conditions. Material selections account for UV intensity, salt spray exposure, thermal expansion, and drainage performance. For mixed-use, multifamily, and master-planned community projects in the South Florida market, amenity design quality is a significant driver of project positioning and absorption.
Working with Evergreen Design Group on Miami Projects
Miami’s development regulatory environment is genuinely complex—Miami 21 zoning code, Miami-Dade County DERM review, SFWMD ERP permitting, City of Miami Urban Forestry requirements, and Biscayne Bay Watershed Protection Ordinance requirements can all apply to a single project depending on its size, location, and program. Our team knows how to read that regulatory landscape early, structure design decisions to support efficient permitting, and coordinate across agencies when multiple review tracks are running concurrently.
We work as a collaborative extension of your project team—coordinating directly with architects, civil engineers, and contractors, attending project meetings, responding to RFIs, and keeping landscape documentation moving at the pace your schedule requires. As a national firm licensed in 44 states, we can also support your development portfolio beyond Miami as your projects expand to other Florida markets or nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions — Landscape Architecture in Miami, FL
Yes. Florida Statute Chapter 481 requires landscape plans for commercial, multifamily, and certain other project types to be prepared and sealed by a Florida-licensed landscape architect. Miami 21—the City of Miami’s form-based zoning code—establishes additional landscape requirements specific to transect zones, including frontage planting standards, open space ratios, and tree canopy minimums. Miami-Dade County’s unincorporated areas are governed by the county’s landscape ordinance, which has its own requirements.
Miami-Dade County’s Urban Tree Canopy Ordinance requires development projects to meet minimum canopy coverage thresholds and to mitigate tree removal through replacement planting or payment into the county’s tree trust fund. The City of Miami has its own Urban Forestry program with additional requirements for projects within city limits. For most development projects involving site clearing, a professionally prepared tree survey and tree disposition plan is required as part of the permit application.
Sea level rise is a present-day design constraint in Miami—not a future planning concern. Tidal flooding is already affecting street-level infrastructure in low-lying neighborhoods, and both Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami have adopted resilience planning frameworks that influence development standards, grading requirements, and stormwater infrastructure expectations. From a landscape architecture standpoint, this affects plant selection, hardscape drainage design, grading strategy, and civil engineer coordination on site elevation and stormwater management.
The South Florida Water Management District administers the Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) program, which governs stormwater management for most development projects in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Projects that exceed certain impervious surface thresholds, involve wetland impacts, or are located within designated drainage basins typically require an ERP. The landscape architect’s role involves coordinating with the civil engineer on stormwater treatment systems, specifying appropriate plant material for retention areas and bioswales, and ensuring that landscaping doesn’t conflict with stormwater infrastructure performance.
In addition to the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County, we regularly work on projects throughout Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach), Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Wellington), and the Florida Keys.
Let’s Talk About Your Miami Project
If you’re working on a development project in Miami or South Florida and need a landscape architect with regional knowledge, Florida licensure, and the capacity to deliver at any project scale, we’d like to hear about it.
Contact Us— or call us directly at (800) 680-6630.
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