(The following was my response to a comment in one of our local eco forums, from a guy who has made his living in the lawn industry for 50 years. Basically saying he has never had a customer ask for native/natural landscaping, even on the barrier island.)
We are not a vocal or visible segment, as far as the sod-layer and lawn-cutter companies with the big ride-on mowers go. But we’re out here.
We don’t show up as a client base because we’re not asking lawn companies to do our yards — they don’t/can’t offer the services we’re looking for. Or in some cases, people with native plants or fruit trees etc. in their yards have had their carefully cultivated plants damaged by the lawn companies, so they have become leery of hiring them to handle the grassy areas of their yards.
Or in some cases, the grassy areas are so tiny that it wouldn’t even be worth a lawn company’s while, if the ride-on mower could even fit. (My yard doesn’t even have any grassy area at all.)
Also, many of us have yards that would be harmed by leafblowing and other activities of the lawn companies.
A few such homeowners go the route of hiring the local neighborhood guy with the push lawnmower. The local solo guy often offers more flexibility as far as not insisting on excessive frequency. And the small mower is less likely to cause soil compaction etc. And here again, this customer segment probably doesn’t even show up on the big lawn companies’ radar.
And there are only a few native/natural landscaping companies in this region as of yet. It’s very much a boutique service. Most of the ones I know are solo practitioners. Or maybe work with one or two helpers. And have little or no mechanized equipment, and no large equipment except the occasional rental for earth works etc.
So, most of us do our own yards. And actually, I suspect that a lot of us in the emerging “natural yard” and “rewilding” movement simply prefer to do our own yards. 
But I think there’s probably more coming, as far as more native/natural/edible landscaping companies emerging in this region as an option for people who prefer to hire a professional service to do their yards.
In other parts of the USA, and even here in Florida, natural landscaping — Including the category known as “edible landscaping” — is at least a little bit more visible as an industry category.[heart smile emoticon]
The company Cherrylake, and a coalition called Outside Collab that it’s part of (along with 1000 friends of Florida and other organizations), are doing great work in promoting awareness of natural landscaping.
There’s an annual conference known as Outside Collab that’s held virtually and in the Orlando area. Landscapers, builders, and others coming together to learn about & promote landscaping options that help with heat mitigation, flood control, restoration of pollinator populations, and all the other life-threatening issues we are facing. Locally, and nationwide, and worldwide.
As well as offering homeowners (and condo & apartment dwellers too) more options for adding beauty and variety to their little piece of ground. [wildflower and ocean wave emoticons]
Also:
For anyone reading this who is interested in finding out why our yards are such a powerful leverage point for addressing flooding, insect die-off, and other deadly serious issues, check out Doug Tallamy – Homegrown National Park.
The basic premise is that the amount of land covered by lawn in the USA totals 40 million acres! Greater than the total acreage of all the national parks! See https://homegrownnationalpark.org
“In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.” — Doug Tallamy, co-founder, HNP
And:
Also: we need to stop wasting money & fuel on constantly laying sod, And then having to constantly maintain it. Particularly on the barrier island. Dune vegetation is extremely hardy, as well as being beautiful. No irrigation required other than rain and dew. People don’t come to the ocean to see mini lawns in the middle of the street. Photo here shows a sidewalk strip where somebody appreciates the beauty and benefits of our natural dune vegetation.
And:
(I know I’m preaching to the choir here. I’m just writing this for the benefit of anyone reading this who might be able to use some moral support because they are dealing with unreasonable HOAs, mow-yahtzees, persistent social norms flying in the face of fiscal prudence & environmental soundness, etc. etc.)
I doubt that, since it’s on the beachside. There are a lot of people on the beachside who appreciate the natural dune vegetation and are not just doing this to be lazy.
Although, in this case, even if they actually were trying to be lazy, they end up doing the more beneficial thing. 
Here on the barrier island, this is a perfect landscape for curb strips and medians. I would expect they don’t hope the city “cleans” it up, because it looks much nicer in its natural state. There are six or seven different types of dune flowers and other plants in that one little space. Many of them are very loved by native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
It’s not only prettier but it is better for the environment. So it’s more in keeping with the purpose of this group. DREAM GREEN VOLUSIA!
The persistent idea that natural landscape equals “dirty,” and buzz cut equals “clean,” is a lot of what’s causing our problems with flooding.
The more dense vegetation absorbs more stormwater and creates a healthier soil climate. Healthy soil is better at absorbing stormwater too.
It’s ironic — constant excessive mowing, which we see a lot of all over this area, is not “clean” but is actually extremely dirty because of all the gasoline that’s burned. And there’s the noise pollution of that too. It’s become so normalized we forget to question how violent our so-called “clean” landscaping mentality is. It’s so flat and sterile, it looks benign. But it’s not.
Shine On, beautiful dune wildflowers!
And:
We also need to make our stormwater ponds look more like this. There needs to be less mowed area and more thick vegetation, constantly sucking up the water and keeping the water table from getting too high. And no chemical spraying.
This is one of my favorite ponds in town, great example on Palmetto right across from the Votran transfer station.
There’s another similar pond somewhere along LPGA, or at least there used to be. That one is good because there is a shaved pond right next to it, so it’s a useful study in contrasts. The natural pons are a lot more beautiful, and nurturing to birds and butterflies and other essential wildlife, in addition to filtering pollutants out of water more effectively and absorbing stormwater more effectively. Let’s join the 21st century — do away with shaved ponds! And other excessively mowed and shaved landscaping practices.
And:
PS. Full disclosure: I’m a landscaper also. My specialties include outdoor rooms / privacy niches; natives & edibles; stormwater sponge; biodiversity.
Now that I’m in my 60s, I prefer sending new gigs to the younger people who are just getting started.
My main work I focus on now is writing, design, & other education. But, that said, I still very much enjoy doing my own yard, and this type of gentle landscaping is possible for a person to do well into their old age.
In the photo is a book I picked up just now at the public library. 🙂 I love her style & examples. (Landscaping for Privacy: Innovative Ways To Turn Your Outdoor Space Into a Peaceful Retreat; by Marty Wingate.)
See the full convo, with photos, here in the Dream Green Volusia group.
