Water conservation
Florida Water StarSM home
Technical manual introduction
Silver
This program for new and existing single-family residential construction provides water-efficient options for houses and landscapes.
Gold
This program is much like the Silver tier, but the water-efficient options for houses and landscapes conserve even more water.
Commercial/
Institutional
This program applies
to offices, retail and service establishments and institutional and non-industrial commercial buildings.
Florida Water StarSM Technical Manual
Landscape criteria
General practices for a Florida Water StarSM landscape design
Exotic invasive plants
Background
Exotic, invasive plant species are capable of outcompeting adjacent landscape plants and spreading out of urban landscapes into natural areas. The spread of invasive exotic species has decimated many ecosystems throughout Florida. Therefore, the restriction of scientifically documented, invasive exotic plants in landscape design is critical to helping prevent any further decline of Florida’s natural ecosystems.
Florida Water StarSM requires that applicants consult the following references when evaluating whether or not a plant is listed as an invasive exotic species for Florida.
The following resources can used to identify exotic invasive plants:
- The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)
- The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Category One List
Requirements and certification
No invasive exotic plant species are on-site.
Silver |
Gold |
Commercial/Institutional |
Required |
Required |
Required |
Depending on the location, some exotic, invasive plant species are more aggressive and prolific than others. Differentiation by relative aggressiveness is reflected in the plants listed by Florida Department of Agriculture (FDAC) and Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC). Both sources list three categories of invasive plants, ranging from least invasive (C in FDAC and 3 in FLEPPC) to most invasive (A in FDAC and 1 in FLEPPC). Florida Water StarSM prohibits the installation of any category A or 1 invasive plant.
An example of a plant that is invasive in one region but not in another is cane grass (Neyraudia reynaudiana), which is invasive in south Florida, but not central or northern Florida.
Plant species that may be invasive should be assessed with reference to Proper Uses of FLEPPC’s List of Invasive Species.
Program tip 
Certifiers must be knowledgeable of the invasive exotic species within their regions. Sterile species of listed invasive species must receive a variance from the Florida Water StarSM program administrator prior to use. In this case, applicants must be provided documentation that validates the sterility of the species in question.
