Claire Mitchell, education manager for Florida Friendly Landscaping (FFL) in Gainesville, and Heather Caliman, an Orange County horticulture agent with the University of Florida Extension, told Oviedo attendees that FFL promotes water conservation and water‑quality protection through nine best‑practice principles and a suite of implementation tools for homeowners, HOAs and managers.

"Right plant, right place" was highlighted as the program’s central tenet. Mitchell described the nine principles — including watering efficiently, fertilizing appropriately (after a soil test), using mulch, recycling yard waste and protecting shorelines with buffer zones — as ways to reduce irrigation and chemical runoff that contribute to harmful algal blooms. "Your yards can look like anything," she said, adding that FFL guidelines are science‑based and intended to reduce water and fertilizer use while supporting wildlife.

Caliman summarized the Florida statute commonly cited as the FFL statute, Florida Statute 373.185, and described its practical effect: it prevents HOAs from outright banning Florida Friendly Landscaping practices but still allows an HOA architectural‑review board to require that proposed modifications meet aesthetic or other community standards. "An HOA can't really outright prohibit Florida Friendly Landscaping practices or principles," she said, but noted that homeowners typically still must seek HOA approval for proposed changes.

Panelists described available resources: plant guides (print and an app), model HOA covenants and landscape contract language, checklists for hiring contractors, lists of certified professionals who have completed FFL or green‑industry training, demonstration gardens and extension‑run classes (including CEUs for landscape professionals and continuing education for community association managers). Mitchell said an HOA hub and a rebate program allow HOAs to work directly with the district to retrofit irrigation controllers, install micro‑irrigation and replace inefficient heads.

Speakers also offered practical steps HOAs and homeowners can take: perform irrigation audits, check or replace rain sensors, separate sprays and rotors into different zones, consider smart controllers (one speaker described a 30% average water savings where smart controllers are incentivized), and pursue the FFL yard recognition or pledge programs to showcase adoption. Extension agents described demonstration gardens and free plant clinics run by Master Gardener volunteers as hands‑on ways to learn planting and maintenance techniques.

Panelists acknowledged implementation hurdles raised during Q&A: difficulty sourcing native plants in large quantities, the cost of large‑scale retrofits for common areas, and the need to coordinate with HOAs’ architectural review boards. They pointed attendees to local nurseries, the Florida Association of Native Nurseries’ plant search, and the FFL certified‑professional lists. The presenters repeatedly recommended starting with education, pilot projects and phased retrofits rather than wholesale immediate conversion.