Lehigh Acres Landscape Services

Contact Your Local Lehigh Acres Public Works or Solid Waste Department for Green Waste Info

Lehigh Acres is an unincorporated community in Lee County, so yard waste and vegetative debris collection falls under Lee County Solid Waste Division oversight. Curbside yard waste pickup typically follows a weekly schedule; residents must bundle branches no longer than four feet and place clippings in approved containers—plastic bags are discouraged in favor of reusable cans or kraft paper bags. Palm fronds, tree trimmings, and bulk brush should be separated from household trash. The Lee County Resource Recovery facility and Topaz Court Transfer Station accept vegetative debris during posted hours; proof of residency may be required. After hurricanes or tropical storms, Lee County activates special debris collection routes. Commercial landscapers must use approved disposal facilities and may incur tipping fees. Blowing or dumping clippings, fertilizer granules, or sediment into streets, swales, canals, retention ponds, or storm drains is prohibited under the Clean Water Act and local MS4 stormwater rules.

Lee County Solid Waste Division
1500 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: (239) 533-8000
Official Website: Lee County Solid Waste Division

Lawn Care Regulations & Permits in Lehigh Acres, FL

Lee County enforces a rainy-season fertilizer blackout from June 1 through September 30, prohibiting nitrogen and phosphorus application to turf during the peak wet months when runoff risk into the Caloosahatchee River watershed is highest. Fertilizers applied outside the blackout must contain at least 50% slow-release nitrogen, and a 10-foot no-fertilizer setback from all water bodies is required. Commercial fertilizer applicators must hold certification under Florida Statutes 482.1562 and follow the Urban Turf Fertilizer Rule for Home Lawn Fertilization. Pesticide use is governed by Florida Pesticide Law - Chapter 487, and commercial applicators must be licensed through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Pesticide Applicator Certification and Licensing. Pest control operators require separate credentials per Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Licensing and Certification. Irrigation in Lehigh Acres follows the South Florida Water Management District's year-round two-day-per-week schedule, with watering permitted only before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.; rain sensor shutoff devices are required on automatic systems per Florida Statutes 403.9337. Lee County noise ordinances restrict power equipment operation in residential areas to 7 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekends. Commercial lawn care operators must hold a Lee County local business tax receipt and carry liability insurance.

South Florida Water Management District
3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Phone: (561) 686-8800
Official Website: South Florida Water Management District - Landscape Irrigation

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone: (850) 410-3800
Official Website: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

What Neighborhoods Do We Serve in Lehigh Acres, FL?

Lehigh Acres spans over 96 square miles of inland Southwest Florida terrain, and each neighborhood presents distinct lawn care challenges shaped by Gulf Coast–influenced soils, drainage, and development era.

• Mirror Lakes and Grand Lake Estates — Lakefront lots with high water tables, Immokalee fine sand soils, and fertilizer setback requirements near retention ponds. St. Augustinegrass dominates but requires careful irrigation calibration to avoid fungal pressure from standing moisture.
• Sunshine Boulevard Corridor — Older residential parcels with mature live oaks creating heavy shade. Shade-tolerant St. Augustinegrass cultivars like 'Palmetto' or 'CitraBlue' perform best; chinch bug monitoring is critical in sunlit edges.
• Homestead Road South and East Lehigh — Newer subdivisions on graded fill soils with rapid drainage and severe nutrient leaching. Bahiagrass is common in lower-input lots, while St. Augustinegrass requires supplemental potassium and iron.
• Lee Boulevard West and Joel Boulevard North — Mixed-age neighborhoods with sandy flatwoods soils, shallow water tables, and canal-adjacent lots requiring stormwater-conscious mowing and no-blow zones near swales.
• Gunnery Road and Northeast Lehigh — Semi-rural parcels with larger lots, bahiagrass pasture transitions, and pine-influenced sandy soils. Mole cricket pressure is elevated, and soil pH tends toward acidic.
• Beth Stacey Boulevard and Central Lehigh — Dense residential grid with smaller lots, limited shade, and full-sun St. Augustinegrass lawns prone to chinch bug damage and drought stress during spring dry-down periods.
• Buckingham Road Corridor (Northwest Edge) — Transitional area near the Caloosahatchee River watershed with drainage sensitivity, canal setbacks, and HOA-governed subdivisions requiring consistent turf appearance standards.

Partnering With Lehigh Acres's Stormwater, Environmental, or Sustainability Office

Lee County's Stormwater Management Division oversees drainage infrastructure, canal maintenance, and water quality protection throughout Lehigh Acres. Compliance with the Florida DEP - NPDES Stormwater Program and Florida DEP - Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) is essential for all lawn care operations near the community's extensive canal network and retention ponds. Sustainable practices aligned with the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program include:

• Grasscycling to return nitrogen to the soil and reduce green waste volume
• Micro-irrigation for landscape beds to minimize overspray into streets and swales
• Rain sensor shutoff compliance on all automatic irrigation systems
• Native and adapted plantings in buffer zones along canals and pond banks
• Reduced phosphorus inputs where soil tests confirm adequate levels
• Proper mowing height (3.5–4 inches for St. Augustinegrass) to promote root depth and reduce runoff

Lee County Natural Resources Division
1500 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: (239) 533-8000
Official Website: Lee County Natural Resources

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone: (850) 245-2118
Official Website: Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Top Lehigh Acres Lawn Problems (and How We Solve Them)

Lehigh Acres sits in USDA Hardiness Zone 10a with sandy flatwoods soils, high summer humidity, and intense wet-season rainfall—creating a specific pest and disease profile consistent with inland Southwest Florida:

• Chinch bugs in St. Augustinegrass — The most damaging insect pest in Lehigh Acres lawns. Damage appears as irregular yellowing patches expanding outward in sunny areas. Solutions include proper mowing height, avoiding excessive nitrogen, and targeted treatment by licensed applicators per UF/IFAS Extension - Lawn Maintenance.
• Large patch (Rhizoctonia) — Circular brown patches emerge in fall and spring when temperatures fluctuate. Reduce evening irrigation, improve air circulation, and avoid fertilizing during active infection.
• Nutrient leaching in sandy soils — Immokalee and Oldsmar fine sands drain rapidly, flushing nitrogen and potassium below the root zone. Use slow-release fertilizers and split applications per Best Management Practices for Your Lawn.
• Mole crickets — Particularly problematic in bahiagrass and bermudagrass areas of East and Northeast Lehigh. Monitor with soapy-water flushes in spring; treat nymphs early for best results.
• Dollarweed and sedge invasion — Indicators of overwatering or poor drainage. Correct irrigation scheduling and improve soil drainage before relying on herbicides.
• Take-all root rot — Exacerbated by stress, overwatering, and improper pH. Maintain proper mowing, reduce irrigation frequency, and apply appropriate fungicides only when diagnosed.
• Drought stress during spring dry-down — March through May brings low rainfall before summer monsoons. Irrigate within SFWMD restrictions and raise mowing height to conserve soil moisture.

UF/IFAS Lee County Extension Office
3406 Palm Beach Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33916
Phone: (239) 533-7513
Official Website: UF/IFAS Lee County Extension

What Makes Lawns in Lehigh Acres Different From the Rest of Florida?

Lehigh Acres occupies a unique inland Southwest Florida position—Gulf Coast–influenced but without direct coastal salt exposure, sitting atop sandy flatwoods soils rather than the shell-fill and calcareous substrates found in nearby Cape Coral or coastal Fort Myers:

• USDA Hardiness Zone 10a — warmer than Central Florida's Zone 9b but without the tropical consistency of Miami-Dade's Zone 10b–11a, creating a near-year-round growing season with occasional brief cold events
• Immokalee, Oldsmar, and Boca Raton fine sand soil series — deep, poorly drained flatwoods sands with acidic to slightly acidic pH, unlike the alkaline marl soils of Southeast Florida or the loamy sands of North Florida
• Inland location — no salt spray or tidal flooding, but high water tables and flat topography create standing-water challenges absent in well-drained ridge communities
• Canal-dependent drainage — Lehigh Acres relies on an extensive canal network feeding into the Caloosahatchee watershed, making fertilizer and pesticide runoff a direct water-quality concern unlike spring-fed North Florida communities
• St. Augustinegrass dominance with bahiagrass in lower-input settings — centipedegrass and cool-season grasses are not viable here, distinguishing Lehigh Acres from Panhandle and North Florida turf mixes
• Intense wet-season fungal and insect pressure — June through October humidity drives chinch bug populations and large patch cycles more aggressively than drier inland Central Florida locations

Supporting Local Events in Lehigh Acres With Lawn Expertise

Community green spaces across Lehigh Acres require specialized turf management aligned with Southwest Florida's climate and regulatory framework:

• Veterans Park athletic fields and community gathering spaces
• Lehigh Acres Community Park events and youth sports programs
• School grounds maintenance coordination with Lee County School District
• HOA common-area turf management for subdivisions along Joel Boulevard and Lee Boulevard
• Neighborhood cleanup events and canal-bank restoration projects
• Post-hurricane and tropical storm vegetative debris response, including downed limbs, palm frond removal, and damaged turf restoration
• Seasonal community festivals and farmers market green-space preparation

Lee County Parks & Recreation
3410 Palm Beach Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33916
Phone: (239) 533-7275
Official Website: Lee County Parks & Recreation

National Weather Service - Miami Office (serving Southwest Florida)
11691 SW 17th Street, Miami, FL 33165
Phone: (305) 229-4522
Official Website: National Weather Service Offices

Eco-Friendly Landscaping Backed by Lehigh Acres's Florida-Friendly and Water-Saving Initiatives

Alignment with Lee County's environmental goals and the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program guides every service decision in Lehigh Acres. Water conservation practices include:

• Smart irrigation controllers with weather-based ET adjustment
• Rain shutoff sensors on all automated systems per state law
• Micro-irrigation for shrub beds and foundation plantings
• Irrigation zone calibration using catch-cup audits to eliminate overspray
• Turf reduction in low-use side yards replaced with native groundcovers

Reduced-chemical and lower-impact approaches include:

• Integrated pest management with threshold-based treatment decisions
• Compost topdressing on sandy soils to improve moisture retention and microbial activity
• Lower-phosphorus fertilization where soil tests confirm adequate P levels
• Pollinator-friendly plantings in landscape beds using native wildflowers
• Grasscycling to return nutrients and reduce landfill-bound green waste

Carbon footprint reduction strategies include:

• Battery-powered mowers, trimmers, and blowers where feasible
• Local mulch reuse from Lee County storm-debris chipping programs
• Route optimization to reduce fuel consumption and vehicle idling
• Shade tree preservation to lower surrounding turf irrigation demand

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4
61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: (404) 562-9900
Official Website: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4

Proudly Serving These Streets and Areas in Lehigh Acres

Our service coverage spans the full geographic extent of Lehigh Acres, organized by corridor:

Central and West Lehigh:

• Lee Boulevard from SR 82 to Joel Boulevard
• Homestead Road South corridor
• Beth Stacey Boulevard and surrounding residential grid
• Sunshine Boulevard from Gunnery Road south to Lee Boulevard

North and Northeast Lehigh:

• Gunnery Road corridor and adjacent semi-rural parcels
• Richmond Avenue North and Alabama Road South
• Northeast 24th Avenue and surrounding subdivisions
• Buckingham Road corridor near the Caloosahatchee watershed edge

East Lehigh:

• Joel Boulevard from SR 82 south to Homestead Road
• East Terry Street and 3rd Street West neighborhoods
• Meadow Road and surrounding newer developments

South Lehigh:

• Homestead Road South to the Lee/Hendry County line
• Mirror Lakes subdivision and Grand Lake Estates
• 21st Street SW and surrounding residential areas

Notable Landmarks and Features:

• Lehigh Acres Community Park and Veterans Park
• Harns Marsh Preserve and surrounding conservation buffers
• Canal systems feeding the Caloosahatchee River watershed
• Lee County School District campuses including Lehigh Senior High School, Lehigh Acres Middle School, and multiple elementary schools
• Commercial centers along Lee Boulevard and Homestead Road

Lee County Development Services
1500 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: (239) 533-8585
Official Website: Lee County Development Services