Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Tampa.
Mixed-use districts, corporate campuses, and hospitality development keep high-end commercial landscape and irrigation specialists in year-round demand.
Continuous demand, not a seasonal business.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: mixed-use districts, corporate campuses, and hospitality development keeping high-end landscape and irrigation specialists in demand year-round, with subtropical planting and water management expertise commanding real premiums.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Tampa against that documented context.
A $3B+ downtown district, anchoring the market.
One dominant named project, phased over years.
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A downtown mixed-use district combining office towers, residential, hotels, and USF Health, requiring subtropical-adapted landscape design as the phased build-out continues.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Tampa.
In the Tampa metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,210 a year, 5% below the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Tampa ranks 78th on pay. Most of the market sits between $30,840 and $47,360. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $77,040 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Tampa median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $37,210 | $30,840–$47,360 | $39,150 | −5% | 9,860 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $53,790 | $38,270–$82,170 | $58,430 | −8% | 1,260 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $27,040 | $27,040–$49,080 | $50,960 | −47% | – |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $41,390 | $35,180–$53,680 | $46,340 | −11% | 440 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $77,040 | $59,630–$129,000 | $79,870 | −4% | 120 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tampa metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile. Headcount is shown for field occupations only; management, estimating and supervisory codes are counted across every industry in the metro.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how Tampa commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why Florida's climate makes this a year-round, not seasonal, business
The hub names continuous maintenance scope directly - unlike Northern markets with snow-driven winter revenue, Tampa landscaping firms maintain steady work across all twelve months.
Why subtropical planting and water management is a real specialty
The hub calls out designers and irrigation techs who understand subtropical planting and water management as commanding premiums - a generalist without that specific regional knowledge underperforms on Florida-specific specs.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified subtropical design and mixed-use-district project history, not resume claims, given the specific scope named by the hub.
Realistic timelines
Standard commercial landscaping roles: 4-6 weeks intake to signed offer, consistent with the region's broader hiring timeline. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours regardless.
The commercial landscaping positions we fill, most often.
Across all Tampa commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Commercial landscape designer (subtropical planting)
- Irrigation specialist (water management)
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Tampa, see the Tampa metro overview. To learn more about commercial landscaping generally (across all 100+ markets we serve), see our Commercial Landscaping industry page.
How we recruit commercial landscaping in Tampa, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Tampa's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Tampa landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within Water Street Tampa scope or standard commercial grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Tampa commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified subtropical design and irrigation credentials.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real design portfolios and subtropical planting experience rather than a line on a resume - timeline depends on the project scope involved.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against Tampa documented general context.
Tampa runs 11% more commercial landscaping workers per job than the country as a whole — above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Tampa's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Tampa metro had 1,546 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 9,954 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $42,037, 12.9% below the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 2.4% over the year, faster than the 2.2% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. That works out to 47 per 100,000 residents against 37 nationally, a crowded field where experienced people get approached often.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Tampa ranks 20th for headcount, 72nd for median pay and 31st for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 21,170 | $37,430 | 1.23 | 2,385 |
| Orlando | 11,430 | $36,310 | 1.32 | 1,303 |
| Tampa | 9,860 | $37,210 | 1.11 | 1,546 |
| Jacksonville | 6,140 | $37,320 | 1.31 | 876 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 5,080 | $36,790 | 2.72 | 624 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 4,740 | $37,200 | 2.27 | 740 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 2,610 | $36,600 | 1.94 | 462 |
| Lakeland | 2,450 | $35,490 | 1.51 | 345 |
| Port St. Lucie | 2,330 | $36,480 | 2.23 | 363 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 1,870 | $36,570 | 1.24 | 368 |
| Pensacola | 1,220 | $36,160 | 1.05 | 220 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Tampa, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Tampa metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Tampa's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Tampa rose from 1,375 in 2018 to 1,546 in 2023, up 12%, close to the 13% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 7%, to about 9,954 people. Average annual pay there went from $31,558 to $42,037 (+33%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 1,375 | 1,546 | +12% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 9,263 | 9,954 | +7% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $31,558 | $42,037 | +33% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — commercial landscaping hiring in Tampa.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Tampa right now?
Water Street Tampa's $3B+ downtown mixed-use district is the named driver, alongside broader corporate campus and hospitality development.
Why is Tampa landscaping work year-round rather than seasonal?
The metro's own data names continuous maintenance scope as a defining feature of this market - Florida's climate means no winter dead season the way Northern markets experience.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Tampa?
BLS puts the Tampa median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,210 a year, 5% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 78th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $30,840 to $47,360 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Florida metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Tampa?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Tampa as they are nationally (location quotient 1.11), with about 9,860 in the metro. The 1,546 landscaping companies here average about 6.4 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 12% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Tampa?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Tampa, a $77,040 median. Tree Trimmer / Arborist is the lowest-paid field role at $27,040. Tree Trimmer / Arborist trails national pay the most (47% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Tampa?
BLS counted 1,546 landscaping companies in Tampa in 2023, employing about 9,954 people between them. Up from 1,375 in 2018, a 12% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 6.4 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $42,037, 13% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Tampa for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Lakeland (32 miles, about 2,450, $35,490 median), North Port-Sarasota (64 miles, about 4,740, $37,200 median) and Orlando (77 miles, about 11,430, $36,310 median).
We have not closed a commercial landscaping search in Tampa yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Tampa than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA fifteen-year experience floor on a single trade specialty took sixteen weeks to clear - and we cleared it twice.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterThe second of two pipefitter seats on the same project, filled from the same extended search.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA journeyman pipefitter and foreman off large industrial projects, onto a major commercial job in four weeks.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Tampa?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.