The City of Lake Wales seeks a horticulturist to build a municipal horticulture program from the ground up. The City has embarked upon a multiyear redevelopment plan (known as the Lake Wales Connected Plan) to create A City in a Garden. The Lake Wales Connected Plan builds off the permanent imprint that the Olmsted Brothers left upon Lake Wales in the 1920s. The City now has the opportunity to pick back up on the Olmstead legacy and realize their vision, and make public space landscapes a spectacular and defining feature of the Lake Wales community.

The first, pivotal step in the Lake Wales Connected Plan is to reconstruct Park Avenue in our historic downtown. A key element of the Park Avenue Streetscape, and the greater Lake Wales Connected Plan, is a focus on planting street trees, annuals, perennials and biennials. The individual selected for this role will be tasked with truly building a horticulture program, to include (but not limited to): analysis of site selection for a nursery, analysis and implementation of nursery site buildout, development of key community relationships and eventual oversight of nursery day-to-day operations.

The City of Lake Wales understands that the visual beauty of our community is an effective method for raising property values, for enhancing the local economy and is a key driver to community satisfaction. The City is seeking an individual with the required expertise to take ownership of the horticultural program and to help lead the City in its implementation of becoming A City in a Garden.

This position supervises and provides day-to-day leadership to horticultural staff, volunteers, seasonal employees, and horticultural interns, and maintains plant collections, irrigation, and pond systems in addition to providing technical horticultural expertise.

Job application: https://www.lakewalesfl.gov/762/Job-Openings

DESIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

(A) Graduation from a Associates or Bachelors degree in horticulture, botany, or natural sciences.

(B) Minimum of 5-10 years of hands-on experience in public gardens or

C) Any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Necessary knowledge, skills and abilities.

Knowledge of garden plants and desire to learn central Florida horticulture and the aesthetic ethic of the Garden; Demonstrate accuracy; display commitment to excellence and keen eye for garden detail; strong organizational, analytical, and mathematical skills for research, recordkeeping, and problem solving; in-depth knowledge of plant culture, Best Management Practices, plant identification and design preferred;

(B) Skilled in the operation of tools and equipment.

(C) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with subordinates, fellow supervisors, volunteers, and co-workers; ability to work with and supervise a diverse staff and volunteer groups; ability to communicate maintenance and horticultural needs and personnel needs in a courteous and effective manner; Ability to plan, assign, supervise, and evaluate the work of subordinates and/or volunteers; ability to fulfill the Gardens plant collection and plant records policies; ability to perform and support horticultural practices that facilitate plant health through understanding soil nutrition, sustainable gardening and Integrated Pest Management; Ability to perform strenuous physical work outside in the Florida weather year-round; ability to lift at least 60 lbs.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Valid Florida Driver's license. Current Florida Commercial Pesticide Applicators License with ornamental and turf category or ability to obtain within six months of hire. Current Florida Certified Horticultural Professional certification or ability to obtain with six month of hire