History of Tropic Traditions, Inc.
Tropic Traditions was established in Miami, Florida in 1981 by its current president and owner Jim Fleming. After working at several nursery and landscape companies, and being partners with another landscaper, Jim decided it was time to start out on his own. And so Tropic Traditions began as a lawn and maintenance service company specializing in gardening services for high-end residential accounts.
A few years later, Tropic Traditions expanded to include commercial lawn/garden maintenance and landscaping in Dade, Broward, and Monroe Counties. In 1987 the company moved to the Redlands area of Homestead, Florida. The new nursery enabled us to supply our design/build landscape division with quality plant material as well as to have plants available to the landscape trade.
In 1990 the company acquired more property and began field-growing palms. On August 24, 1992 Hurricane Andrew ravaged South Florida. Tropic Traditions was heavily damaged. Following the devastation, we at Tropic Traditions began the long, arduous process of rebuilding our homes, nurseries, and accounts throughout the South Florida area. Tropic Tradition’s reputation as a dedicated, reliable business helped re-establish it to an enhanced operation.
In 1993, Tropic Traditions purchased more property in Alachua County to further augment the South Florida business. Another nursery was created in Gainesville, Florida and sales began in 1996 with continuous runs between both locations in North Central and South Florida through 2002. To be able to concentrate more on the wholesale growing operation and to better serve a broader client base, Tropic Traditions sold the South Florida divisions in 2002 and began to focus efforts in North Central Florida.
Tropic Traditions currently grows on over 100 acres in Alachua County producing a wide variety of native and coastal trees and shrubs. The company also has one of the largest inventories of cold hardy palms in the Southeast and our quality products are shipped all over the Southeastern United States as well as to some parts of Canada.
