The City of Fort Myers Code of Ordinances does not prohibit artificial turf on residential property. Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FS 373.185) protects water-conserving alternatives to traditional lawn, but artificial turf is not within the statutory FFL definition — so HOAs may still adopt reasonable rules limiting it. New developments must still meet Chapter 138 (Vegetation) landscape buffer and tree requirements, which generally require living plant material.
Fort Myers does not have a stand-alone artificial-turf ordinance. The City's Chapter 138 (Vegetation), Article II (Landscaping) — including § 138-46 — governs required landscape buffers, parking-lot interior landscaping, and tree counts for new development; those sections generally require live trees and shrubs and do not credit synthetic turf toward landscape area or canopy requirements. On wholly residential lots, synthetic turf installation is not prohibited by the City and does not require a City landscape permit. FS 373.185 (Florida-Friendly Landscaping) defines protected landscaping as 'quality landscapes that conserve water, protect the environment, are adaptable to local conditions, and are drought tolerant' — Florida courts and the UF/IFAS program treat this as referring to living, water-wise plant material, not synthetic turf. HOAs in Fort Myers therefore retain authority to regulate artificial turf (e.g., backyard-only, product specifications, drainage requirements) under FS Chapter 720.
Installing artificial turf as a substitute for required landscape buffer or parking-lot interior plantings will fail Chapter 138 plan review and prevent issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy. HOA artificial-turf disputes are civil matters under FS Chapter 720 and the community's recorded covenants.
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