Registered Landscape Architect · Serving South Florida since 1982

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954-560-1695 jsantiagolainc@gmail.com Request a Consultation
Tropical waterfront estate with a reflecting pool, royal palms and layered South Florida planting

Fort Lauderdale · Registered Landscape Architecture

Landscapes built for South Florida.

For more than four decades our studio has planned, designed and administered landscapes across Broward and Miami-Dade: private estates, commercial sites and institutional campuses. Every project is drawn and sealed by a registered landscape architect, from the first site walk to the final planting.

Established 1982 FL Lic. LA0000795 Residential · Commercial · Institutional
1982 Practicing in
South Florida since
40+ Years of design &
project administration
45+ Broward & Miami-Dade
communities served
RLA Florida Registered
Landscape Architect
Veteran landscape architect beside planting plans in a light-filled tropical design studio
LA0000795 FL Registered Landscape Architect

Our Story

Since 1982, one studio and one standard.

For over forty years our firm has provided professional consulting services to a wide range of clients, with a customized plan of action for every project.

South Florida is an unforgiving place to build a landscape. Salt air, limestone soils, hurricane season, water restrictions and permitting that varies block to block. Designing well here takes local knowledge you only earn over decades.

You work directly with our principal. He walks your site, draws your plans, seals your drawings and stays on through construction, so what gets installed is what was designed.

  • Florida Registered Landscape Architect on staff, licensed since 1982 (Lic. LA0000795)
  • B.L.A., Louisiana State University
  • Residential, commercial and institutional projects, $10,000 to $1.5 million
  • Sealed, permit-ready drawings for Broward and Miami-Dade review
See how we work

James SantiagoPrincipal · Registered Landscape Architect

Our Services

Three things we do, and do completely.

Our clients are our number one priority. Every project is customized to the site, the budget and the way you actually want to live in or operate the property.

Site survey marked for sun, drainage and existing trees at a South Florida property
01

Planning

Site analysis, master planning and land-use strategy. We read the site first, looking at drainage, soils, sun, setbacks, canopy and code, then plan the property so the design that follows can be built and permitted.

Details
Refined residential landscape with a sculptural bismarck palm, shell-stone terrace and linear water rill
02

Landscape Design

Planting plans, hardscape, pool surrounds, water features, outdoor rooms and irrigation, drawn as one coordinated set. Species are selected for South Florida's salt, sun, storms and water restrictions, not for a catalog photo.

Details
Landscape architect reviewing staged palms and irrigation work on an active construction site
03

Project Administration

Permitting, bidding, contractor coordination and site observation. We stay on the project through construction, review substitutions and sign off on what is installed, so nothing quietly gets value-engineered out.

Details

Capabilities

Everything a landscape needs, drawn under one seal.

Do you have a project or idea you would love to bring to life? Since founding the practice we have provided clients with a wide range of consulting services across landscape, irrigation and design. Below is the working list.

Site Planning Landscape Design Landscape Plans Irrigation Design Hardscaping Pool Landscaping Swimming Pool Design Patio Design Deck Design Custom Water Features Custom Fire Pits Garden Design Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Gazebo Design & Construction Greenhouse Design & Construction 3D Rendering Drafting
See full service detail
Hand-drafted color planting plan for a residence, with an architect's scale, mechanical pencil, kneaded eraser and tropical foliage

Selected Work

Four decades of South Florida projects.

Residential estates, commercial sites and institutional grounds, planned, designed and administered from concept through construction.

01 Waterfront residence at blue hour with an infinity pool, illuminated royal palms and Intracoastal dock
Residential

Waterfront Residence

Coral Ridge

Full site plan, pool surround, seawall planting and irrigation. A salt-tolerant palette designed to hold up on an exposed Intracoastal lot.

02 Shaded mixed-use courtyard with mature trees, bromeliads, pale paving and integrated bench seating
Commercial

Mixed-Use Courtyard

Las Olas Corridor

Landscape and hardscape master plan meeting city landscape code, tree-disposition requirements and open-space calculations.

03 South Florida civic campus with a palm-lined walk, native hedges, lawn and accessible routes
Institutional

Civic Campus Grounds

Pompano Beach

Master plan, native and drought-tolerant planting design, and construction administration across a multi-phase public site.

04 Private tropical garden room with a limestone water wall, shell-stone terrace and layered foliage
Residential

Garden Room & Water Feature

Hollywood

Small-lot redesign with a custom water feature, shade structure, low-water planting and a fully rebuilt irrigation zone layout.

The Process

How a project moves, start to finish.

No surprises and no hand-offs. Here is exactly what working with the studio looks like.

01

Site Walk & Consultation

We walk the property together, looking at drainage, soils, sun and wind exposure, existing canopy, views, setbacks and code. We also talk through how you want to use the space and what the budget needs to be.

02

Concept & Master Plan

You receive a scaled concept plan with the layout, circulation, hardscape and planting zones. We refine it together until the plan is right, before a single construction detail gets drawn.

03

Construction Documents & Permitting

Sealed planting plans, hardscape layout, grading notes, irrigation design, specifications and plant schedules, all prepared to satisfy your municipality's landscape review and get through permitting.

04

Bidding & Project Administration

We help you compare contractor bids on equal terms, answer questions during construction, observe the work on site, and verify that what is installed matches what was specified.

Client Feedback

What working together sounds like.

They walked our lot before a single line was drawn, and it showed. Four years in, the garden looks better than the day it was planted. Nothing has outgrown its spot.

Daniel Reyes Waterfront Residence · Coral Ridge

Our permit set sailed through landscape review on the first submittal. After two prior rounds of revisions with another firm, that alone paid for the drawings.

Karen Whitfield Commercial Developer · Fort Lauderdale

What we valued most was that they stayed on the job. When the contractor wanted to substitute plant material, the studio caught it and held the line on the spec.

Anthony Cabrera Property Manager · Pompano Beach

Service Area

Broward, Miami-Dade & Palm Beach.

Based at 612 NE 14th Ave in Fort Lauderdale, we work throughout South Florida, and we know the landscape code, tree ordinances and review process in each municipality below.

  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Coral Ridge
  • Victoria Park
  • Las Olas Isles
  • Wilton Manors
  • Oakland Park
  • Pompano Beach
  • Lighthouse Point
  • Deerfield Beach
  • Boca Raton
  • Coconut Creek
  • Coral Springs
  • Parkland
  • Margate
  • Tamarac
  • Sunrise
  • Plantation
  • Davie
  • Weston
  • Southwest Ranches
  • Cooper City
  • Pembroke Pines
  • Miramar
  • Hollywood
  • Hallandale Beach
  • Dania Beach
  • Lauderhill
  • Lauderdale Lakes
  • Aventura
  • Miami

Don't see your city? It is very likely still within range, so just ask.

Map of the South Florida service area centered on Fort Lauderdale and spanning Broward, Miami-Dade and southern Palm Beach counties

Let's Begin

Tell us about your property.

Send a few details about the site and what you would like it to become. We reply personally, usually within one business day, with an honest read on scope, timeline and what the drawings would cost.

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