Grading and excavation in St. Johns County establishes the precise pad elevations, drainage patterns, and road profiles that the county's engineering standards demand. We handle rough grading for large subdivisions, finish grading for individual lots, and excavation for retention ponds and utility infrastructure. Serving St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, Elkton, and 6 more communities across St. Johns County.
Site grading, drainage swales, retention areas, foundation prep, driveway cuts, and earth moving. Proper water management for Florida's flat terrain and high water table.
St. Johns County's variable terrain—from high, well-drained sand ridges near Ponte Vedra to low, seasonally saturated farmland around Hastings—demands site-specific grading strategies. The county's concurrency management system requires that stormwater infrastructure be in place before vertical construction begins, making grading and retention pond excavation critical early-phase activities.
St. Johns County stretches from the Atlantic barrier islands westward across a coastal plain of maritime hammock, pine flatwoods, and tidal marsh along the Matanzas and Tolomato Rivers. The western interior rises gently onto sandy uplands used for agriculture—the Hastings area has been a center of potato farming since the early 1900s. The county's northern sector around Ponte Vedra and Nocatee features well-drained sandy ridges interspersed with freshwater wetlands, while the southern portion near Elkton transitions into broader flatwoods and creek-bottom swamp associated with the Pellicer Creek and Moses Creek basins.
Residential subdivision development dominates St. Johns County's clearing workload, with large master-planned communities like Nocatee, Shearwater, and Twin Creeks consuming hundreds of acres of flatwoods and scrub annually. Agricultural land conversion in the Elkton-Hastings corridor is accelerating as potato and sod farms sell to residential developers drawn by the county's top-ranked school system. Historic district renovations in St. Augustine require delicate selective clearing that respects heritage trees and archaeological sensitivity. The Ponte Vedra-Ponte Vedra Beach corridor generates demand for high-end estate lot clearing where specimen live oaks must be preserved while understory is removed to create manicured, park-like settings. St. Johns County has ranked among the fastest-growing counties in Florida for over a decade, adding more than 100,000 residents since 2010. The county's consistently top-rated school district is the primary draw for families relocating from Duval County and out of state, and the continued buildout of Nocatee—planned for over 30,000 homes at full capacity—ensures sustained demand for land clearing services.
We assess your St. Johns County property in person — evaluating terrain, vegetation density, and equipment access to deliver an accurate T&M quote.
Clear scope, timeline, and expectations documented in our Master Service Agreement before any equipment rolls. No surprises, no hidden charges.
CAT track loaders and 20+ ton excavators mobilize to your St. Johns County site. Production-grade equipment means faster timelines and cleaner results.
Owner Jeremiah Anderson walks the finished project with you to confirm every detail meets expectations before we close out the job.
St. Augustine's historic district overlay imposes additional vegetation removal restrictions that protect the city's colonial-era tree canopy, particularly specimen live oaks and magnolias within the downtown core. The Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve protects over 73,000 acres of coastal habitat in the county, and development adjacent to the reserve triggers enhanced environmental review and buffer requirements. Right whale calving grounds off the St. Johns coast restrict coastal construction noise and lighting during the November-through-April calving season. Gopher tortoise populations are dense on the sandy uplands throughout the Nocatee and World Golf Village growth corridors, requiring pre-clearing surveys and FWC relocation permits.
Protected species: St. Johns County is home to Gopher tortoise, North Atlantic right whale, Eastern indigo snake, Wood stork, Least tern, Piping plover, Bald eagle, Anastasia Island beach mouse, Florida scrub-jay. Pre-clearing wildlife surveys may be required depending on habitat type and project scope.
Waterways & buffers: Properties near Matanzas River, Tolomato River, San Sebastian River, Intracoastal Waterway, Pellicer Creek, Moses Creek, Guana River, Julington Creek, Durbin Creek, Six Mile Creek may require setback buffers and water management district permits. TreeShop works within all required buffer zones.
Soil conditions: Northern St. Johns County's residential growth areas sit on Hurricane, Orsino, and Tavares fine sands with moderate to good drainage that supports rapid development. The Hastings agricultural district features Ellzey, Placid, and Floridana fine sands—muck-enriched soils that retain moisture for crop production but require drainage management for residential use. Coastal areas contain Canaveral and Palm Beach fine sands on barrier island dunes and relict beach ridges.
TreeShop provides professional grading & excavation across St. Johns County, including:
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Grading & Excavation in St. Johns County