LAKELAND, Fla. — While the coronavirus outbreak has forced businesses in many industries to close and/or lay off workers, the lawn maintenance industry, at least for the moment, is holding steady, and companies are hiring.

This is, in fact, the time of year when many landscaping companies hire seasonal workers.

One of those companies is Floralawn in Lakeland. Floralawn owner Rob Averitt said he needs 45 workers.

The company mostly does lawn maintenance for companies and homeowner associations. The pay ranges from $12-$20 an hour. 

Averitt said for now, business is pretty steady but he does worry about his customers. 

“We feel like there could be some things to come," Averitt said. "Our construction side has slowed down somewhat. We’ve had a few customers call out to us for unnecessary work that they wanted to pause but basically our maintenance side has stayed very strong."

If you’re looking for a job, the website Employ Florida is a good resource. 

In Polk County alone as of Friday, there were about 500 job openings listed.