Clearwater, Fla. \u2014 David Kulp and Michele Burt’s home is surrounded by 300 plants of 88 different varieties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Water presented the first-ever \u201cBest of the Region\u201d Award as part of the 2025 Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Awards<\/a> during its April board meeting \u201dWe feel like we are a part of nature, we have created a sanctuary, it is peaceful and it is inviting for wildlife,” said Burt.\u00a0<\/p>\n The pair are both nature photographers. They intentionally reworked their front, back and side yards in include native, edible and drought-resistant plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201dWe have not run our sprinklers, and the plants are doing really well,” said Kulp.\u00a0<\/p>\n The couple has a drought-resistant yard that it has won a few awards.\u00a0<\/p>\n They were chosen as the first-ever \u201cBest of the Region\u201d Award as part of the 2025 Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Awards. This is given out by Tampa Bay Water.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in an extreme drought. And so this is a great time to highlight landscapes that can really thrive under drought conditions,” said\u00a0Amelia Brown the Demand Management Program Manager at Tampa Bay Water.<\/a><\/p>\n Kulp and Burt’s home takes water conservation into account in many ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur gutter system is tied into three different rain barrels, these are 60 gallons each, so we use rain water to water some of our plants,” said Kulp.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also have drip irrigation installed, an Earth box garden, and they take advantage of living on a canal. They have planted things that don’t mind sea spray like Sea Lavender and Simpson Stoppers.\u00a0<\/p>\n “What we learned is that those plants will reduce the wind by 60 percent, so if you have 100 mile an hour wind it reduces that to 40,” said Kulp.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their home is protected by the plants that drive even in a drought.\u00a0<\/p>\n For those who utilize Tampa Bay Water, you can apply for the upcoming Water-Wise awards for 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
The Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Awards program is offered in partnership with the University of Florida\u2019s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF\/IFAS) Extension and Florida\u2011Friendly Landscaping\u2122 Program
\n
Landscapes are evaluated by UF\/IFAS Extension<\/a> staff based on criteria including retention of existing trees and vegetation, landscape design and plant selection, stormwater runoff prevention, and efficient irrigation
\n
Michele Burt and David Kulp of Pinellas County are the inaugural recipients of Tampa Bay Water\u2019s Best of the Region Award<\/p>\n