Alachua County is partnering with the St. Johns River and Southwest Florida water management districts, the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) and Irritech Training to offer Florida Water Star Accredited Professional (FWS AP) training for irrigation industry professionals.
The FWS Accredited Professional training will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the UF/IFAS Alachua County Extension Office (22712 W. Newberry Road, Newberry). Lunch will be provided. Continuing education credits are available for landscape architects, FNGLA Certified Professionals and Florida Water Star Professionals. The training costs $50, and participants must register online.
“Landscape irrigation is one of the largest water uses in Alachua County,” said Eliana Bardi, senior planner with the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department. “We all need to do our part to use less water every day and eliminate water waste. Alachua County is currently experiencing an extreme water shortage. Ensuring irrigation systems are designed as efficiently as possible, regularly maintained and free of leaks is essential to protecting our groundwater supply, which also feeds our springs and rivers.”
All new irrigation systems installed in Alachua County must go through a county approval process. This includes application fees of $100 for residential projects and $150 for nonresidential projects for plan review. Inspection fees for residential projects are $150 and $200 for nonresidential projects. Irrigation professionals who are FWS APs or hold a state irrigation license are eligible to self-inspect irrigation projects and have the inspection fee waived.
Alachua County recommends that anyone who installs or maintains irrigation systems in the county attend the training and become an FWS AP. In addition to saving on inspection fees, accreditation makes professionals eligible to participate in grant-funded rebate programs for irrigation upgrades, which often require an accredited professional.
Read more about the accreditation program.
For more information about the FWS program, contact Deirdre Irwin with the St. Johns River Water Management District at dirwin@sjrwmd.com.
For more information about Alachua County irrigation design standards and irrigation rebates, contact Eliana Bardi at 352-264-6810 or ebardi@alachuacounty.us.
