There is quite a bit of excellent talent in the South Florida area, so developers don't hestitate to "shop" Landscape Architects. I've learned many lessons, both from others and on my own, that have helped me achieve success. And although it doesn't seem a priority, I'll eventually have a true private office. When that happens, the structure of the office will be a formula to maintain the responsiveness, state-of-the-art design and communications technology and cost effectiveness that clients always look for . . . .

For me, the challenge of having an emerging design firm in the nineties has been to anticipate and be consistently responsive to client needs. . . . Whether I am the Prime Consultant or part of the developer's design team, I . . . contract the services of professional specialists when required.

As a result of intense coastal development, South Florida projects frequently require some Biological/Zoological study or monitoring on site. Protecting and sustaining endangered wildlife habitat is of primary concern. A situation arose on one waterfront design project where vehicular lighting proposed nearby became an issue detrimental to sea turtle nesting areas. There was the potential for the hatchling turtles to interpret the artificial light as natural moonlight and thereby be misdirected away from the ocean. Careful placement, shielding the light sources, and introducing some low level lighting-along with monitoring turtle nests- resolved the problem.

In addition, project excavations have in-creasingly required Ar-chaeological expertise. This is not only for the preservation of Native American artifacts that may be uncovered, but also recent discoveries in the fossil record. Further, projects that involve wetland and/or prairie mitigation may require initial studies provided by a hydrologist. LASN

Writing in response to LASN's search for "The Real New Firms of the Nineties," Tom Caruso (President of Caruso-Omnibus in Naples, Florida) sheds light on the environmental challenges facing LA's.