Florida Native Seed Partnership Launches Steering Committee and Celebrates Successful Kickoff Meeting

Twelve people stand in front of the Roland T. Stern Learning Center, with plants in pots on the ground near them.
Florida Native Seed Partnership Inaugural Steering Committee

Gainesville, FL — The Florida Native Seed Partnership (Partnership), jointly coordinated by the Florida Wildflower Foundation (FWF) and the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) under a formal Memorandum of Understanding, convened its newly established Steering Committee on Nov. 14, 2025.

The kickoff meeting brought together invited partners from conservation, utilities, research institutions, agriculture, and land-management organizations to address Florida’s growing deficit of native seed — an issue increasingly affecting restoration and land-stewardship efforts statewide.

According to Gage LaPierre, post-doctoral research associate with the UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences (FFGS), demand for native seed in Florida continues to outpace supply. “Native seed is needed to restore and enhance degraded green spaces in both rural and urban areas,” LaPierre said. “But when supply falls short, prices skyrocket. That cost barrier limits the ability to implement sustainable, wildlife-friendly restoration projects across the state.”

Representatives from Florida Power & Light, the Florida Wildflower Growers Cooperative, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Native Plant Society, and the U.S. Forest Service participated in discussions focused on increasing the availability, reliability, and affordability of Florida-native seed for ecological and land-stewardship efforts statewide.

“Today marks a real milestone,” said Stacey Matrazzo, executive director of the Florida Wildflower Foundation. “We’ve been working with the University of Florida for several years to launch this partnership, and we’ve already made significant progress. Florida’s demand for native seed continues to rise, and we now have a critical opportunity to build a system capable of supporting ecological restoration, roadside management, and the state’s native plant industry.”

FFGS Director Red Baker added, “We are pleased to partner with the Florida Wildflower Foundation to advance the science and practice of native plant restoration in our state. The public will ultimately see the benefits—from small natural areas in their communities, to beautified roadsides and medians, to large conservation lands that serve as genetic reservoirs for future restoration.”

According to LaPierre, the Partnership has researched successful native seed programs in Texas and Iowa. “This initiative has been in the works for several years,” he said. “Those involved have learned from existing native seed programs and we will select the best parts of those programs that fit Florida’s needs.”

Steering Committee Members:

  • Jeff Caster and Stacey Matrazzo, Florida Wildflower Foundation
  • Dr. Michael Andreu and Dr. Gage LaPierre, UF/IFAS
  • Terry Zinn, Florida Wildflower Growers Cooperative
  • Jeffrey Smith, Florida Power & Light
  • Nancy Bissett, The Natives Company
  • Eugene Kelly, Florida Native Plant Society
  • Christina Hannon, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  • Jason Depue, US Forest Service

The Steering Committee will meet monthly and provide updates on the Florida Native Seed Partnership web page.

To learn more or to be added to the email list, contact Ali Rieman, Florida Native Seed Partnership Coordinator, at ARieman@FlaWildflowers.org.