The city of Tampa announced on Monday the launch of its Florida-Friendly Landscaping Incentive Program (FLIP), designed to help homeowners reduce outdoor water use through Florida-native landscapes.

FLIP was launched by the Tampa Water Department, in collaboration with the Hillsborough County Utilities and UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County. The program consists of a series of three Saturday morning workshops to educate homeowners on tools and information to convert lawns into “water-wise landscapes.”

Registration for FLIP’s first workshop, scheduled for Saturday, March 21, is now open. Officials say that if residents can successfully convert up to 500 square feet of turf, they may be eligible for a rebate.

In addition, officials in Tampa recognized residents Susan Manian, Ingo Fochler and Liselott Uppgard as the winners of the Community Water Wise Awards, which honor their success for reducing the use of water for irrigation.

“The water-wise winning landscapes stand out for their reduced requirement for supplemental irrigation, often using only half a gallon of water per square foot of landscape per month,” a spokesperson from Tampa said, adding that the landscapes are “often using only half a gallon of water per square foot of landscape per month.”

Officials in Tampa say that reducing water demand is critical to protecting water resources in the region, especially since the Southwest Florida Water Management District declared a Phase II Water Shortage after a regional 13-inch rainfall. They noted that outdoor water use often accounts for roughly half or more of monthly water usage in a house.

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“After the last drought, the City of Tampa, with support from the Tampa City Council, made once-a-week watering a year-round requirement, helping our City save approximately 4 billion gallons of water,” a city spokesperson said.

“We’re proud of our Community Water Wise Award winners and hope their landscapes inspire others to make the leap toward more water-efficient yards that still reflect the beauty of Florida,” Rory Jones, director of the Tampa Water Department, said.