Food sources
Iguanas graze on flowers, fruit and tender ornamentals. Choosing less-palatable plantings and clearing fallen fruit removes a standing invitation.
Burrows undermining the seawall. Droppings across the pool deck. Ornamental beds stripped overnight. On Florida’s waterways, invasive iguanas are a property problem — and we manage them humanely, protecting your landscape, seawall and structures for the long term.
Waterfront, protected.
Seawall · deck · landscape
Green iguanas aren’t part of Florida’s natural landscape — they’re an invasive species from Central and South America that found, in Florida, a climate that suits them perfectly. Warm weather, endless waterways and few natural predators have let their numbers climb dramatically, especially along the coast.
For property owners, that translates into real, recurring damage. Iguanas burrow into seawalls and canal banks, undermine pool decks, strip ornamental landscaping and foul docks and patios — and because the surrounding water keeps supplying new arrivals, the problem tends to return unless it’s actively managed. Understanding that is the difference between chasing sightings and protecting a property.
The green iguana comes from Central and South America — an invasive species here, not a natural part of the ecosystem.
Florida’s warm, subtropical weather and abundant waterways let iguanas thrive year-round with no cold season to slow them.
Females lay large clutches of eggs, and with few natural predators, a small presence can multiply into a real population.
Canals, seawalls and lakefronts are ideal habitat — which is why waterfront and coastal properties feel it first.
Iguana damage concentrates where water, warmth and soft soil meet. These are the six areas our inspections examine first.
Iguanas burrow into the soft soil behind seawalls to nest and shelter, out of sight.
Burrow openings along the wall, soil voids and slumping ground.
Erosion behind the wall that can crack and eventually collapse it — the costliest iguana damage of all.
The loose fill behind retaining walls is just as easy to tunnel into.
Holes at the base, settling soil and bulging or leaning sections.
Undermined footing and structural failure over time.
Warm decks are prime basking spots, and the soil beneath is easy to tunnel.
Droppings across the deck, burrows at the edges and hollow-sounding pavers.
Cracked, sunken deck sections and persistent staining.
Ornamental plants, shrubs and flowers are a favorite iguana food.
Chewed leaves, stripped flowers and grazed foliage.
Destroyed plantings and repeated regrowth losses.
Soft, planted soil offers both an easy meal and easy digging.
Uprooted plants, droppings and freshly disturbed beds.
Ruined beds and ongoing nesting activity.
Docks and seawall caps are ideal basking spots and access points to the water.
Droppings on docks, basking iguanas and burrows at the waterline.
Fouled surfaces and eroded dock and seawall footings.
Effective iguana management is a strategy, not a single visit. Our five-phase approach protects the property, not just the moment.
A full assessment of the property’s waterfront, landscape and structures to find burrows, basking sites and existing damage.
We map where iguanas travel, feed and nest — turning scattered sightings into a clear picture of the population’s routine.
A targeted, humane removal plan built around that behavior and sized to the property and the population.
Barriers and hardening for seawalls, decks and gardens so removed iguanas can’t simply be replaced by the next.
Practical guidance on vegetation, water and habitat that keeps the property from re-attracting iguanas long-term.
Three connected services that move a property from active damage to lasting, managed protection.
An established or growing iguana population damaging the landscape, decks and seawalls.
Humane, targeted removal informed by activity mapping across the whole property.
Fewer iguanas, less damage, and a plan to keep it that way.
The seawall voids, deck edges and garden access points iguanas exploit again and again.
Barriers and hardening engineered for waterfront and coastal conditions.
The structural protection that removal alone can’t provide.
Wanting invasive-species control handled responsibly and humanely.
Humane methods applied within Florida’s invasive-species guidelines.
Effective iguana control, done the right way.
Iguana pressure looks different depending on where — and what — you own. Here’s how activity shifts by property type.
Canal- and lakefront homes see the heaviest pressure — seawall burrowing, dock basking and constant access straight from the water.
Ponds, manicured landscaping and open banks make golf-community homes a magnet for feeding and nesting iguanas.
Inland neighborhoods deal with landscape and garden damage as populations spread outward from nearby waterways.
Shared seawalls, common landscaping and appearance standards make coordinated, community-scale management essential.
Retention ponds, ornamental landscaping and hardscape face both damage and liability from large, visible populations.
Canals, lagoon frontage and golf-course water features shape iguana pressure across the region.
Extensive canals, the St. Lucie River and golf-community ponds create ideal waterfront iguana habitat.
Canal-front and golf-community homes with seawalls and lush landscaping.
Indian River Lagoon frontage and coastal canals give iguanas water access and warm basking.
Waterfront and near-coastal properties with docks, seawalls and gardens.
Lagoon, barrier-island and golf-course water features support steadily growing iguana numbers.
Coastal and golf-adjacent homes with ornamental landscaping and seawalls.
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You can’t move the water — but you can make a property far less inviting. These are the levers that quietly reduce iguana pressure.
Iguanas graze on flowers, fruit and tender ornamentals. Choosing less-palatable plantings and clearing fallen fruit removes a standing invitation.
Dense, overgrown landscaping offers both cover and food. Thoughtful trimming and plant selection make a property far less hospitable.
Canals, ponds and seawalls are the highway. You can’t remove the water, but managing the banks and basking spots reduces the appeal.
Filling old burrows, hardening seawall soil and closing deck voids takes away the shelter iguanas depend on to stay.
Iguana pressure is constant near water, so periodic checks catch new burrows and basking activity before they become an infestation.
A tailored, property-specific plan ties it all together — the difference between one-time removal and lasting, managed control.
Straight answers on invasive iguanas, seawall damage, pool areas, humane removal and long-term management.
Yes. The green iguana is native to Central and South America, not Florida, and it’s classified as an invasive species here. Because they aren’t protected wildlife, invasive iguanas can be humanely removed from private property year-round — and given the damage they cause to seawalls, landscaping and structures, responsible removal is encouraged.
More than most people realize. The biggest concern is burrowing — iguanas dig into the soil behind seawalls, retaining walls and beneath pool decks, causing erosion that can crack and collapse expensive structures. They also strip ornamental landscaping, foul decks and docks with droppings, and dig up garden beds. On waterfront property especially, the structural damage adds up fast.
Water is their highway and their habitat. Canals, seawalls and lakefronts give iguanas easy travel, warm basking spots and soft soil to burrow into, so waterfront and canal-front homes take the heaviest pressure. It’s also why the problem recurs — the water provides an endless supply of new iguanas moving in from nearby banks.
Yes. Even though iguanas are invasive, we handle removal responsibly and humanely, within Florida’s invasive-species guidelines. Our focus is on effective, targeted control informed by how the animals actually use your property — paired with exclusion and prevention so the result lasts rather than resetting in a season.
That’s one of the most important things we do. Beyond removing the animals, we address the burrows and harden the vulnerable soil and access points behind seawalls, retaining walls and decks. Protecting the structure — not just clearing the iguanas — is what prevents the erosion damage that makes seawall repairs so costly.
On waterfront property, new iguanas can always arrive from nearby banks and canals, which is why one-time removal alone rarely holds. Lasting control combines removal with exclusion and habitat management — closing burrows, hardening structures and reducing what attracts them — plus periodic monitoring so new activity is caught early.
We address the two things that draw them there: basking surfaces and easy shelter. That means removing the resident iguanas, closing the burrows and voids beneath the deck, and advising on deterrence and landscaping changes that make the area less appealing. The result is a cleaner deck and far less droppings and damage.
We assess the whole property the way an iguana uses it — the waterfront, seawall, docks, pool area, landscaping and any burrows — and map where they travel, feed and nest. From there we build a removal and protection plan sized to your property and population, whether it’s a single home or an HOA-scale community.
Yes. Shared seawalls, common landscaping, retention ponds and appearance standards make community- and commercial-scale iguana management its own challenge. We can assess and plan for larger properties and coordinated areas, protecting shared structures and landscaping while keeping the approach humane and effective.
We answer live and schedule inspections promptly, because iguana damage — especially seawall burrowing — compounds over time. Reach out and we’ll get you on the schedule and, for active or growing populations, prioritize getting a specialist on site to assess and start protecting the property.
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