How to Vet a Tampa Landscaper

Step 1 — Screen before you call

• Real contact info. A business name, a local phone number, and some kind of web presence. Fly-by-night operations hide behind a cell number and nothing else.
• Reviews across multiple platforms — Google, Yelp, Nextdoor, BBB. Read the negative ones first; look for patterns (no-shows, scalped lawns, ghosting on callbacks) rather than one angry outlier.
• Photos of real work. Ask for Tampa-area jobs, not stock photos. Yards in this climate have a look — if every photo could be from Ohio, be skeptical.

Step 2 — The questions that matter

Ask every candidate the same questions so you can compare answers:

1. Are you insured? Can I see the certificate? Then call the insurer to verify it’s active. This is the single most important question in this trade.
2. Who actually does the work — your employees or subcontractors? Neither is disqualifying, but you should know who’s in your yard and who’s insured.
3. What’s your mowing height for St. Augustine? The right answer is 3.5–4 inches. “We cut it short so we don’t have to come as often” tells you everything.
4. How do you handle the fertilizer blackout season? They should know Hillsborough County/Tampa restricts nitrogen during the rainy season — and schedule around it.
5. Who holds your FDACS fertilizer certification? If they sell fertilization programs, someone on the team must hold the limited certification. Get the name.
6. How do you set irrigation schedules? They should reference watering restrictions (one day/week by address, no 10am–4pm watering) without being prompted.
7. What happens when something dies or gets damaged? Plant warranties on installs, damage-repair policies on mowing — real companies have answers; everyone else has excuses.
8. Can I talk to two customers from the last year? Then actually call them. Ask what went wrong and how it was fixed.

Step 3 — Compare quotes like a pro

• Demand line items. A project quote should break out plants (by botanical name and size), materials (mulch type and depth, cubic yards), irrigation changes, and labor. Lump sums hide shortcuts.
• Compare scope, not just price. The cheapest quote usually wins by excluding something — soil prep, plant warranty, irrigation adjustments. Line up the scopes side by side before you look at the totals.
• Ask about the establishment period. For sod and installs: who waters what, for how long, and what happens if plants die in the first 30–90 days? This should be in writing.
• Recurring service: nail down the schedule. Weekly vs. biweekly, what’s included each visit, holiday and rain policies, and how cancellations work.

Step 4 — Protect yourself in writing

• Scope, materials (named, not generic), and timeline in the contract.
• Payment tied to milestones — never 100% upfront.
• Plant survival warranty for installs (industry standard is typically 30–90 days for plants, first season for sod — get the actual terms).
• Damage policy: who pays for a broken sprinkler head or a window?
• Termination terms for recurring service — can you cancel with notice, or are you locked in?

The two-minute summary

Verify insurance yourself. Ask the St. Augustine mowing-height question and the fertilizer-blackout question — the answers instantly separate Tampa pros from guys with trucks. Get three line-item quotes, compare scopes before prices, and never pay everything upfront. Do that and you’ll hire better than 90% of homeowners in an unlicensed trade.