Florida city offers homeowners up to $3,000 to ditch thirsty grass — a move that slashes their water bills

Florida-friendly landscaping incentive program City of Tampa residents, if you've ever been slapped with a fine for watering your lawn on the wrong day or time of day, have you wondered what happens to the money? FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.  The Brief Tampa will help homeowners pay to replace the grass in their lawns with native plants.The city’s water department will give them up to $3,000 to convert their lawns.One homeowner said doing so allowed them to cut their monthly water usage from 10,000–12,000 gallons to 4,000 gallons. A Florida city wants homeowners to rip out their grass lawns, and it is willing to pay big bucks for them to do so.   Big picture view: The city of Tampa's Florida-Friendly Landscaping Incentive Program offers rebates to the homeowners it services who replace traditional, thirsty grass in their yards with native plants that are drought-friendly. By splitting the cost of the project with the city, residents can receive up to $3,000 from the Tampa Water Department.  Saving water and saving money What they're saying: For many homeowners in the Tampa Bay area, outdoor irrigation accounts for roughly 50% of their total water use. By swapping out traditional grass for native plants and micro-irrigation systems, the city hopes to drastically reduce the strain on the region's water supply. The Kerns say the switch is already paying off on their utility bill. What they're saying: "We just got our water bill from last month, and we went from averaging about 10,000 to 12,000 gallons a month down to 4,000 gallons," Chris Kern said. "I think we’ve watered the yard once in the month of September. With a little help from the rain barrel, it's now a completely drought-friendly yard." How it Works Local perspective: On Tuesday, city officials delivered a $1,654 rebate check to South Tampa homeowners Chris and Stephanie Kern. The couple recently ripped out the St. Augustine grass in their front yard – tired of the constant watering and brown spots. They replaced the turf with plants native to Florida, transforming their front lawn into a thriving habitat for bees, birds and other wildlife. It’s also a landscape that uses significantly less water.   "We went all in and are in love with what we've done. And hope we can encourage others to do the same," Chris Kern said. RELATED: Almost half of Americans fear inflation will spoil their winter travel plans, survey finds Chris Kern admits they actually got some of their own money back – after receiving a water citation a couple of years ago. The Tampa Water Department actually uses the money from its water restriction violation fines to fund the program. Why you should care: "FLIP turns water restriction fines into an opportunity for our irrigating customers, sharing 50% of eligible costs up to $3,000," Julia Palaschak, an environmental specialist II with the city of Tampa Water Department, said. "So far, in this first year of FLIP, we've issued 12 rebate checks totaling $14,000 in seven different ZIP codes. So, people all around the city are embracing this concept." The backstory: The Tampa Water Department recently hit the one-year anniversary of FLIP, an initiative that incentivizes homeowners to replace at least 500 square feet of irrigated lawn with a "Florida-friendly" landscape. When completed, at least half the project area must be covered with living plant material, while the rest needs to be mulched. The program limits hardscaping and bars artificial turf or non-permeable surfaces. Participants who complete three guided workshops with the Hillsborough County UF/IFAS Extension Office and install their approved Florida-friendly landscape design after getting a pre-approval from the city can apply for a rebate for qualified expenses up to $3,000. The Source: The information in this story was gathered from statements provided by Julia Palaschak of the Tampa Water Department, interviews with South Tampa homeowners Chris and Stephanie Kern, and materials published by the city of Tampa.   EnvironmentU.S.