What You Need to Know About Florida’s Soil

Soil is one of the most important components of life itself. Many aspects of our lives depend on it, including agriculture, construction, and water drainage. In fact, your entire home (including the foundation and other concrete structures) depends on soil for support. 

For that reason, it’s important to understand Florida’s different soil types. That way, no matter where you live in the state, you can know how external factors like weather or construction will impact the soil in your yard. 

Table of Contents

• An Overview of Florida’s Soil
  • Common Composition
  • On the pH Scale
• Florida Soil Types Explained
  • 1. Myakka Fine Sand
  • 2. Pine Flatwoods
  • 3. Miami Limestone
• Challenges for Building and Repairing Concrete
  • Draining Water
  • Hydrostatic Pressure
  • Corrosive Groundwater
  • What is the Best Soil for Building Concrete?
• Soil Washout: Red Flags to Look For
• Coastal Erosion
• Call Florida’s Concrete Leveling Experts

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An Overview of Florida’s Soil

Over 300 different kinds of soil are found in Florida. Almost all these soils share similar characteristics like poor drainage and sandy deposits.  

While the average homeowner isn’t expected to know every single type of soil in Florida, it’s beneficial to know the basic soil composition in your region.  

Common Composition

Largely, soils across Florida are made up of sand, peat, clay, sandy loam, and muck. There are six generally defined soil regions in Florida – look to see your soil region:  

Generally speaking, North Florida normally has soils with more clay which allows the soil to retain more water.  

Central Florida soil is usually quite sandy and is easily eroded.  

South Florida soils are mostly made of limestone and don’t retain water well, making it difficult to grow plants. 

On the pH Scale

Your soil’s pH controls whether certain plant nutrients become more or less available. Put simply, it has an impact on whether certain foliage is able to thrive in your yard.  

In Florida, the median pH of soil throughout the state is 6.1, which is slightly acidic. Generally, most Florida soils do not rise above 7 on the pH scale, which means the majority of soils in the state are acidic. 

Florida Soil Types Explained

Because there are so many different kinds of soil in Florida, it’s impossible to cover them all. But let’s take a look at three of the most prominent soils in our state for even more in-depth information on Florida’s soil. 

Challenges for Building and Repairing Concrete

In Florida, building or repairing concrete can be challenging for a few reasons. We’ll quickly outline a few here, and the best soil to build concrete structures on.

Draining Water

When digging into the soil below your concrete, it’s inevitable to hit water around 16-35 feet deep. This is especially true in Florida with aquifers just below the surface and low elevation throughout the state.  

As you can see, working with concrete requires getting below the soil. Constant drainage may be needed when working with concrete in any capacity to help mitigate soil washout in the future.  

Hydrostatic Pressure

Since groundwater is often close to the surface in Florida, hydrostatic pressure is a huge factor for concrete damage. With proper drainage tools, contractors can prevent water from pushing against your concrete structures and causing cracks. 

Corrosive Groundwater

Since Florida’s soil is more acidic, groundwater near your concrete has the same properties. This gives it the potential to break down concrete over time and cause sinking, uneven slabs. 

What is the Best Soil for Building Concrete?

Soil Washout: Red Flags to Look For

Soil erosion happens when soil wears away because of factors like water, wind, and soil type. In regions with lots of sandy soil and heavy rainfall, like Florida and Georgia, soil can erode quickly, weakening the ground under concrete surfaces. This often leads to sinking, cracking, and other damage.

Knowing the signs of soil washout can help you avoid costly repairs later. Watch for these warning signs on your property:

Coastal Erosion

Something else to consider when it comes to your concrete is coastal erosion. If your home is located on Florida’s coast, there is always the possibility of water damage brought on by high tide or hurricanes.  

Since our state averages 54 inches of rain every year, and is always at risk during hurricane season, water damage is one of the biggest hazards to your concrete. We know living on the coast is one of the great benefits of living in Florida.  

Finding concrete professionals who understand these risks and can help keep your coastal home protected is key. When you work with Alpha, you receive expert knowledge about concrete leveling and best practices from a team that knows our state.

Call Florida’s Concrete Leveling Experts

FAQs

Does Florida have good soil?

With modern advancements, Florida’s acidic soil is great for both farming and construction. Naturally, the soil in Florida supports pine trees which are used for timber.  

Cattle grazing is also a huge industry in Florida thanks to the shrubby grasslands in South and Central Florida. Since sandy soil doesn’t retain water well, many homes in Florida are naturally protected from groundwater complications. 

Why does Florida have sandy soil?

Over time, as mountains in the Southeast U.S. weathered over millennia, their minerals (much of them sandy) were deposited into the ocean through rivers. Below the water, these minerals began to mix together.  

Eventually, sea levels lowered and revealed a landmass made up of these sandy deposits. This landmass is Florida today. 

What type of foundations are used in Florida?

Slabs and crawl spaces are the most common foundation types in Florida. In South Florida, where the terrain is flat, slabs are more common. Although, most modern homes are built on slabs across the state. 

Crawl spaces are common in homes built in the 1950s and 60s. These elevated homes are found more commonly in North Florida and can be found in coastal communities as well.  

Ted Dryce

SEO Content Specialist

Ted is an SEO Content Writer who has been with Groundworks since 2021. He’s covered home repair topics ranging from crawl space encapsulation to regional soil conditions. When he’s not working, Ted is performing improv comedy and working on his own creative projects.

_{*Disclaimer: “Concrete leveling” means the process by which cracked, uneven concrete is stabilized, and in many cases lifted, by means of PolyRenewal™ polyurethane foam. Alpha Foundations does not guarantee that PolyRenewal™ can make your concrete perfectly level.}