--- title: "Sports Field Turf in Northeast Florida | TIMELESS Grass & Greens" description: "Plan a northeast Florida sports field around stormwater permits, Florida’s school heat law and the bid rules counties, CDDs and school boards follow." url: https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/sports-field-turf/ --- Northeast Florida # Sports field turf in northeast Florida: plan around heat, permits and the bid. Florida's 2026 turf rule stops at house lots, but your field can still need a stormwater permit, a cooling zone or a public bid. Free visit, written price. - Check the stormwater permit before the design is fixed - Put the cooling zone and shade on the drawings - Know when your board must bid the field [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) - Layout approved before installation - American-made turf - Free estimates, no pressure The short answer ## Does Florida’s 2026 synthetic turf rule apply to a sports field? No. Florida's synthetic turf standard covers single-family lots of an acre or less. A field can still need a stormwater permit, a cooling zone for high school sports and, above set costs, a public bid. Planning a turf installation? Get a layout, turf options and a written quote for your space. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/?use=Commercial%20or%20sports%20field) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. Before you install ## What to know before you start. The rules in short. We measure and check the ground at a free visit, then draw a layout that fits. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) - ### Permits and code A field can still need a stormwater permit past 9,000 square feet of impervious or semi-impervious surface. The rule doesn't say how turf is classed, so ask the district before the design is fixed. See the rule on permits and code Your field can still need a stormwater permit. The turf rule skipping your field doesn’t skip the permit. Unless your project qualifies for one of its exceptions, such as a listed exemption or the 10/2 general permit, [Rule 62-330.020](https://flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=20397080&type=1&file=62-330.020.doc) requires an environmental resource permit for work that adds up to more than 9,000 square feet of impervious and semi-impervious surface, is part of a larger common plan of development, or changes a project already permitted. The water management district’s own handbook can add thresholds. The rule doesn’t say how turf and its base are classed, so ask the district before the design is fixed. Our [commercial turf page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/commercial-turf/) quotes the St. Johns River Water Management District’s handbook definitions, and our guide on [whether turf is impervious](https://www.timelessgrass.com/guides/is-artificial-turf-impervious/) lists the questions to ask. In unincorporated St. Johns County, [Section 6.06.02.A of the land development code](https://www.sjcfl.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/article-vi.pdf) exempts sports fields from its rule that plantings follow Florida-Friendly principles. The same section says artificial plants can’t meet any landscaping requirement. Keep any required planting around the field living, and ask the county how to show the field on the landscape plan. - ### School heat law If an FHSAA member school uses the field, plan a cooling zone on the drawings: cold-water tubs or an equivalent and a trained person, ready when heat stress reaches the association's levels. See the rule on school heat law Put the cooling zone on the drawings. If your field serves a member school of the Florida High School Athletic Association, plan room for a cooling zone. [Section 1006.165](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1006/Sections/1006.165.html) has the FHSAA set the heat-stress levels at which a school must make one available for each outdoor contest, practice, workout or conditioning session, all year, and require member schools to modify, suspend or move activities to match. Heat stress is measured at the site from ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover. At a minimum, the cooling zone needs cold-water immersion tubs or an equivalent ready to use, and an employee or volunteer trained to run them. Mark where the tubs, water and shade go and how a player gets there from the sideline. Ask the athletic director for the FHSAA’s current levels. For a park or league field, ask the parks department or league which heat policy it follows. Our article on [how hot turf gets](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/how-hot-does-artificial-turf-get/) covers surface temperatures. - ### County, city and district bids A county, city or district must competitively award construction estimated above $300,000, or $75,000 for electrical work, and lighting may count. Both figures are index-adjusted, so ask the purchasing office for the current one. See the rule on county, city and district bids Know when your board must bid the field. Above a set cost, your board can’t simply pick a firm. [Section 255.20](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299/0255/Sections/0255.20.html) requires a county, city or special district to competitively award public construction estimated at more than $300,000, by sealed bids, requests for proposals or qualifications, or competitive negotiation. Electrical work has a lower trigger of $75,000. Both figures are adjusted for the change in the Engineering News-Record Building Cost Index from 1 January 2009 to the start of the year the project is scheduled to begin, so ask your purchasing office for the current figure. Each board can set its own bidding procedures by ordinance or resolution. Lights can bring in that lower trigger. St. Johns County said on 14 April 2026 that all fields at its [Silverleaf Sportsplex](https://www.sjcfl.us/silverleaf-sportsplex-and-shearwater-community-park-under-construction/), including four multipurpose synthetic turf fields and a synthetic turf stadium field, will be lit for evening play. The complex is expected to open in early 2027. If your field will be lit, ask the purchasing office whether the lighting counts as electrical work. In [St. Augustine](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/st-augustine-fl/), a grass-to-turf conversion went through the county board. Commissioners approved the construction contract for a two-phase renovation of the [Solomon Calhoun Community Center](https://www.sjcfl.us/solomon-calhoun-center-football-field-renovatation/) on 4 February 2025, and the county said $2.1 million was budgeted for construction. The first phase included replacing the football field’s grass with synthetic turf and improving its drainage. The county handled the conversion as part of a phased [capital improvement project](https://www.sjcfl.us/solomon-calhoun-community-center-nears-field-upgrade-completion/), paid for with Fiscal Year 2023 Tourist Development Tax dollars, with permanent striping for lacrosse, soccer and football. It [celebrated the completed field](https://www.sjcfl.us/featured-projects/solomon-calhoun-park-improvements/) on 18 October 2025. The county’s posts don’t say how the contract was awarded, so ask its purchasing office for the award record if you want a model. - ### Districts and schools Who owns the field sets the route: a district board follows the public bid law, and a school board has its own options. For an HOA or private field, book a free visit. See the rule on districts and schools Find out who owns the field, then which rule applies. In [Nocatee](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/nocatee-fl/), which body owns the field decides the rule. The [Tolomato Community Development District’s FAQ](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/ead6dfa8-684b-44e0-a1d5-9b4a7e83a011/downloads/c7d69ac8-faa8-4114-b8bb-019e0fa8df3e/Nocatee%20Entities%20FAQ%20II.pdf?ver=1788445783895) says the district owns and maintains parks including Greenleaf Park, Cypress Park and Twenty Mile Park, while each neighborhood HOA maintains its own common areas and neighborhood parks. A district board follows section 255.20 for public works under [section 190.033](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0190/Sections/0190.033.html). If an HOA owns the field instead, ask its manager how the association approves a contract. School boards have their own statute. [Section 1013.45](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1013/Sections/1013.45.html) lets a district contract for new facilities, additions, renovation, maintenance or repairs by competitive bids, design-build or a construction management entity, among other methods. For commodities and contractual services, [Rule 6A-1.012](https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/florida/Fla-Admin-Code-Ann-R-6A-1-012) calls for competitive solicitations from three or more sources above $50,000, or a lower amount the board sets by rule, and bars splitting a purchase to stay under it. A district can also buy from another public agency’s contract at the same terms or better. Ask the district’s facilities or purchasing office which route a field takes, and get its figure in writing. For an association or private field, or a job your purchasing office says can be bought directly, book a free visit. We measure, check the ground and give you a custom layout you approve before work starts, with a written price. See the main [sports field turf service](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/sports-field-turf/) for layout, pad and infill options, or the [northeast Florida page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/) for the other turf we install here. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) What we install ## Sports field turf for your space. - [### Sports field turf A playing surface planned around the sport, site drainage and maintenance needs. See sports field turf](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/sports-field-turf/) FAQ ## Questions about sports field turf in Northeast Florida. ### Is replacing a worn field just maintenance under the bid law? Don’t assume it. Section 255.20 exempts repair and maintenance of an existing public facility, but not a substantial addition, extension or upgrade. An upgrade inside a repair project counts as substantial when its estimated cost is over the bid threshold and over 20 percent of the project’s estimated total cost, and the work can’t be split up to avoid the rule. Ask your attorney how a replacement or grass-to-turf conversion will be treated, and get the answer in writing. ### What else does a CDD have to put out for competition? If the district hires an engineer, architect or landscape architect to design the field, section 190.033 puts that contract under the Consultants’ Competitive Negotiation Act. Maintenance service contracts for a district facility need competitive solicitation too once they pass an amount set in state purchasing law, under procedures the district adopts. Ask the district manager for those rules before you plan the field’s upkeep. ### Who has to be trained to run a school’s cooling zone? Section 1006.165 requires each coach and sponsor of outdoor practices or events to complete training every year in spotting, preventing and responding to exertional heat illness, including running cooling zones. Ask the athletic director who holds that training for games and practices on your field. Areas we cover in Northeast Florida - [St. Augustine, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/st-augustine-fl/) - [Mill Creek, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/mill-creek-fl/) - [World Golf Village, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/world-golf-village-fl/) - [Nocatee, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/nocatee-fl/) - [Julington Creek Plantation, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/julington-creek-plantation-fl/) - [Fleming Island, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/fleming-island-fl/) - [Oakleaf Plantation, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/oakleaf-plantation-fl/) - [Jacksonville, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/jacksonville-fl/) - [Everywhere we work in Northeast Florida](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/) Useful links - [Rule 62-330.020, F.A.C.: regulated activities (last amended 1 June 2018)](https://flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=20397080&type=1&file=62-330.020.doc) - [Fla. Stat. 1006.165: well-being of students in extracurricular activities](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1006/Sections/1006.165.html) - [Fla. Stat. 255.20: local bids and contracts for public construction works](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299/0255/Sections/0255.20.html) - [St. Johns County: Solomon Calhoun Community Center to have football field renovated (11 February 2025)](https://www.sjcfl.us/solomon-calhoun-center-football-field-renovatation/) - [Tolomato Community Development District: Nocatee Entities FAQ](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/ead6dfa8-684b-44e0-a1d5-9b4a7e83a011/downloads/c7d69ac8-faa8-4114-b8bb-019e0fa8df3e/Nocatee%20Entities%20FAQ%20II.pdf?ver=1788445783895) - [Fla. Stat. 190.033: community development districts, bids required](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0190/Sections/0190.033.html) Free estimate ## See the plan before you decide. Tell us about your project and we’ll call to arrange a free visit. [Or call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) Your free estimate includes - A visit to measure your space - A custom layout, drawn for your space - Turf options, side by side - A written price, with no pressure to sign [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) Five short steps. We’ll call to arrange your visit.