During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lakeland natives Brooklynne and Billy Muscatello spent time in their historic Lake Morton bungalow watching the show “Flip My Florida Yard,” which airs on WTSP on Saturdays locally and on the Discover Florida Channel.
“I followed them on social media and they did a casting call,” said Brooklynne, who works as a healthcare administrator. Her husband is a physical therapist. They’re both Florida Southern College graduates.
The show is watched by about 10 million people statewide and highlights transforming a yard into a Florida-friendly landscape.
Makeover application: About four months ago, the Muscatellos submitted a video application, asking the show for help. “The big thing for us was the flooding,” Brooklynne said about what she wanted fixed.
On Jan. 8, a camera crew with host Chad Crawford, officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and gardeners from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences invaded the humble yard on Rushing Avenue.
Problem solved: Every time a big storm rolled through Lakeland, the Muscatellos’ brick walkway flooded from the driveway to the porch steps, along with the front yard.
The UF/IFAS gardeners, with an assist from the couple, planted native grasses and used oak leaves for fertilizers. They also gave the 33-year-old couple a puddle-proof way to walk from the car to the porch with their six-month-old son, Dion, in his carseat.
“They replaced the bricks with a permeable paver system,” Muscatello explained.
Florida-friendly: The day-long transformation used a landscape design based on Florida-Friendly Landscaping and its nine principles, developed with UF/IFAS: .
- Put the right plant in the right place
- Water efficiently
- Fertilize appropriately
- Mulch
- Attract wildlife
- Manage yard pests responsibly
- Recycle yard waste
- Reduce stormwater runoff
- Protect any waterfront
“Florida-Friendly Landscaping … promotes sustainable alternatives to ‘conventional’ landscaping, providing guidance on low-impact, environmentally friendly, science-based landscape practices that use less water and reduce pollutant loading to Florida waters,” said Polk UF/IFAS Residential Horticultualist Anne Yasalonis, who helped with the project.
Happy ending: Now, the Muscatellos have wispy grass, a gurgling fountain and a well-drained yard and walkway.
“It wound up giving us some off-street parking — I’m in and out with a six-month-old, so that’s super, super convenient,” she said.
The show will air in the fall and can be streamed or watched on WTSP on Saturdays at 4 p.m.
Applications for this season’s yard flips are closed, but you can sign up for the Discover Florida Channel newsletter and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to get notifications about next season’s casting call.
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Now there’s just that pesky 1099-MISC to deal with.