Be Floridian

Mary Campbell, Extension Director and Urban Sustainability Agent 

Dear Yard 911, 

My husband is deathly afraid of bugs. I think it goes back to when he was little and his sister put a cockroach down his shirt. But now he schedules monthly pesticide treatments for our lawn and I can’t let our dogs play outside for days at a time. Are pests really such a problem in Florida? 

 – Insectophobe Gone Wild, Safety Harbor 

This is an excerpt from the website for the new Be Floridian campaign. It is a fun website designed to create awareness about the serious problem of water pollution. It has fun quizzes about proper care of your yard and encourages enjoying the natural Florida. In other words, have fun and don’t worry so much about your landscape – let it be natural. Be Floridian is about loving the beauty and diversity that makes Florida a special place. Pinellas County implemented a summer fertilizer ban starting in 2011 to reduce runoff that is polluting our water bodies. It is a critical issue here in Pinellas where we are surrounded by water and have many areas that are watersheds (drain to one main location). It is much more expensive to try and clean up a polluted water body than to prevent the pollution in the first place. Now is the time to reduce our use of fertilizers and chemicals and enjoy the relaxed natural beauty that is Florida. 


Map Your Yard- You are a Floridian through and through. But does your yard belong in Ohio? Take our quiz to find your yard’s true home state. 


Visit the website at www.befloridian.org. 


To find out more about how to make your yard easier to maintain and use less chemicals see the Pinellas County Extension information on Florida Friendly landscapes: http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/FFL/index.shtml