Virtual Education: Sustainable Landscapes in Everyday Life
February 12, 2026 | 11:00 am- 12:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs
Sustainable Landscapes in Everyday Life
Stacey Matrazzo, Executive Director, Florida Wildflower Foundation
Andrew Landis, Conservation & Strategic Initiatives Division Manager, City of Groveland
Kody Smith, CEO, Dix.Hite + Partners, Inc.
How often do you experience a sustainably designed, environmentally forward landscape in your daily routine? Join our presenters as they share their expertise on sustainable, native Florida landscapes. They will share opportunities and constraints in utilizing native plantings along with three key initiatives being developed by the City of Groveland.
- Gain a better understanding of native planting approaches and plant material (successes and challenges).
- Learn about Groveland's initiative to become a leading example in the development of sustainable landscapes.
- See examples and understand lessons learned as part of two case studies being implemented in Groveland.
Sponsored by:
About Stacey: Stacey Matrazzo joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation in 2015 as its program manager. Before that, she worked for the Foundation for several years as a contractor. She is the co-author of Native Plants for Florida Gardens, which she wrote with botanist/restoration ecologist Nancy Bissett.
Stacey is an environmental educator with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a master’s degree in liberal studies from Rollins College, where she is also an adjunct professor. A native Floridian and certified Florida Master Naturalist, she spends much of her free time kayaking, hiking, birding and photographing Florida’s amazing natural environments.
About Andrew: Andrew Landis is the Conservation & Strategic Initiatives Division Manager at the City of Groveland, Florida and an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at Rollins College in Winter Park. The Conservation Division works across city departments to foster sustainable native landscapes in Groveland, known as the City with Natural Charm. Downtown blocks have been revitalized and showcase native trees and plants. A wildflower rain garden has been installed at historic Lake David Park to help filter stormwater. Working with partners Dix.Hite, Cherrylake, Green Isle Gardens, Life Soils, and the Florida Wildflower Foundation, the city is pursuing native landscapes along state roadways. A complete rewrite of Groveland’s landscape code prioritizes tree preservation, water conservation, reduced sod coverage, native plants, and soil amendments.
About Kody: A registered landscape architect in the State of Florida, Kody Smith serves as CEO of Dix.Hite + Partners and has lived and practiced in Central Florida since 2008. Kody’s intense respect and passion for the environment and culture of the places he designs is recognized by his teammates, colleagues, and clients, informing his approach and promising excellence in his finished work. His focus on parks, large-scale master-planning projects, and urban design stems from this passion for people, culture, and the power of shared environments. Kody works to transform the perspectives surrounding Florida’s landscapes by demonstrating all that its natural ecologies have to offer. His knack for transforming an existing space into something new, special, and usable shines through with each passing project.
All FRPA Virtual Education Sessions are live and encourage you to stay engaged so that discussion can take place during and after the presentation. Each session has been scheduled for the time of the presentation but please keep in mind that we will have around seven to ten minutes of introductory announcements and possibly words from our sponsor during the session. These may cause the session to run over the allotted time by 10-15 minutes.
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