Why Geotechnical Engineering Demand Is Growing in Florida

Florida’s infrastructure market is expanding, creating new opportunities for geotechnical engineers across the state.

Florida’s population reached an estimated 23.46 million in July 2025, an increase of 8.9% from its April 2020 estimate base. At the same time, investment in transportation, residential development, and major construction projects is creating significant pipelines of engineering work.

For geotechnical firms, this means growing demand for the engineers who assess ground conditions, provide foundation recommendations, and support projects as they move from planning into construction.

The challenge is finding enough experienced professionals to deliver the work. Augustinas Zibuda, Principal Consultant at LVI Associates, specializes in the Florida geotechnical engineering market. He says: 

In our previous article, The Engineers Every Geotechnical Firm Wants to Hire, we explored why experienced mid-level engineers have become particularly sought after, and Florida offers a clear example of what is driving that competition.

Florida's geotechnical market at a glance

• 23.46 million people is Florida’s estimated population up to July 2025.
• $13.7 billion is the value of Florida’s FY2025-26 State Transportation Work Program.
• Tampa and Orlando are two of the most competitive geotechnical talent markets LVI Associates is currently seeing in Florida.
• Mid-level engineers, the experienced professionals with PE licensure, are among the hardest profiles for firms to find without the right talent partner.
• Jacksonville is also a market LVI Associates expects to generate further geotechnical demand as its population and project pipeline grow.

Why is geotechnical engineering growing in Florida?

Population growth is only one part of the story. Florida approved $15.1 billion in transportation investment for FY2025-26, including $13.7 billion for the State Transportation Work Program. Of that, $5.4 billion was allocated to highway maintenance and construction, alongside investment in resurfacing, bridges, freight, rail, aviation and other transportation infrastructure.

The I-4 corridor provides a good example of what this investment means on the ground. FDOT has announced plans for 17 miles of new express lanes on I-4 in Hillsborough County, running from I-75 to County Line Road. The project is valued at approximately $500 million.

Major infrastructure programs can give engineering firms greater certainty over future workloads. That certainty matters commercially, allowing businesses to make longer-term decisions about where they invest and how they grow.

Augustinas has seen this happening across Florida already:

As project pipelines grow, so does the competition for the engineers needed to deliver them.

Where is geotechnical demand highest in Florida?

Demand varies significantly across the state.

Miami

Miami has historically been a major market for geotechnical engineering, supported by extensive high-rise developments across South Florida, which in itself brings its own geotechnical challenges. A high-water table, combined with continued high-rise development, puts greater emphasis on groundwater management, dewatering, and foundation design experience.

Tampa & Orlando

Central Florida is currently creating some of the strongest competition for talent. According to Augustinas, Tampa and Orlando have been two of the highest-demand areas. Orlando’s commercial and residential developments continue to generate work, while Tampa is benefiting from transportation and wider development activity. Investment around the I-4 corridor adds another layer of infrastructure demand across Central Florida.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville could become another important market. The city surpassed one million residents in Census Bureau estimates for 2024, while major construction projects are also progressing. One example is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ $1.4 billion Stadium of the Future. Construction began in 2025, with the completed stadium scheduled to open in 2028.

Augustinas expects the combination of population growth, infrastructure investment, and development to create further demand for geotechnical expertise across North Florida.

Which geotechnical engineers are firms looking for?

Despite the variety of projects across Florida, Augustinas describes hiring requirements in two simple categories:

Technically accomplished engineers are at the center of the demand. Mid-level professionals are particularly sought after because they have the experience to take ownership of projects while still offering a clear path into future leadership positions. PE licensure strengthens that profile further, giving firms access to engineers who can assume greater responsibility for technical work and engineering reports.

At the other end of the requirement are ‘seller-doers’, professionals who pair engineering expertise with a strong commercial track record. Alongside leading projects, they can develop client relationships, generate new business and help build a firm’s presence in the market.

For companies opening or expanding Florida offices, that combination of technical and commercial capability carries particular value. Firms need experienced engineers who can deliver today’s project pipeline, but they are also competing for leaders who can build the client base and teams behind their next phase of growth.

Which geotechnical skills are in demand?

Florida’s geology and groundwater conditions shape the technical experience employers value.

Augustinas is seeing particular demand for experience in:

• Groundwater management and dewatering
• Shallow foundation recommendations
• Deep foundation recommendations
• Auger cast piles
• Drilled shafts
• Ground improvement systems
• High-rise and mid-rise developments
• Transportation and roadway projects

He says: 

The exact project experience employers look for also changes by location.

South Florida can require expertise related to high-rise development and water management. Orlando has significant commercial and residential activity, while Tampa and Jacksonville offer opportunities spanning transportation, buildings, municipal and other infrastructure projects.

For engineers considering moving to Florida, showing how previous technical experience applies to these conditions can therefore make a significant difference.

How is demand affecting geotechnical salaries?

Competition for experienced engineers is putting pressure on compensation.

Recent LVI Associates search activity shows how far some employers are prepared to go for sought-after profiles.

Augustinas recently placed an engineer with a PhD and two years of practical experience at a salary of $125,000. He has also seen lab manager compensation move above six figures. Across Florida, the market floor for PE-licensed engineers is now typically $100,000+, with experienced P.E.s in competitive markets often commanding significantly higher compensation depending on their technical expertise, leadership responsibilities, and business development capabilities.

These are just examples from recent LVI Associates searches rather than statewide salary benchmarks, and compensation will vary depending on experience, licensure, technical expertise, location, and employer. For more detailed benchmarking, please contact LVI Associates. 

Companies are also competing in other ways, including:

• Increased paid time off
• Performance-related bonuses
• Business development incentives
• Faster progression opportunities
• Relocation support

For ‘seller-doers’ in particular, some smaller firms are offering compensation linked to the business an engineer generates. This can help them compete for professionals who may otherwise choose larger organizations.

Are Florida firms hiring engineers from other states?

In some Florida markets, employers cannot rely on the local talent pool alone. Augustinas identifies Fort Myers, Sarasota and West Palm Beach as examples where finding experienced local geotechnical professionals can be difficult.

As a result, firms are increasingly considering relocation. Engineers from the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana can be particularly relevant because some of their technical experience may transfer more readily to Florida’s conditions than experience gained in markets with significantly different geology.

Augustinas has seen employers offer relocation packages of $10,000 or more in some circumstances, particularly for hard-to-fill positions or locations with smaller talent pools. Some firms are also considering international professionals and sponsorship as another response to shortages.

For employers, widening the search can mean assessing professionals according to transferable technical skills rather than waiting for someone who has already performed an identical role in the same city.

What should geotechnical engineers include on their resume?

Strong demand does not remove the need to present experience clearly.

More than 80% of the professionals placed personally by Augustinas, or by the wider LVI Associates geotechnical team, are passive candidates.

Many engineers may therefore find themselves discussing an opportunity before they have actively prepared to enter the job market.

For mid-level and technical engineers

Make it easy for a hiring manager to identify:

• PE licensure: Put your license prominently on your resume, particularly for positions involving responsibility for engineering reports.
• Technical expertise: Include relevant experience such as groundwater management, dewatering and foundation recommendations.
• Foundation experience: Specify your experience with shallow and deep foundations, including systems such as auger cast piles and drilled shafts.
• Project types: State whether you have worked on residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, high-rise or mid-rise projects.
• Engineering software: List the geotechnical and engineering software you regularly use.
• Relevant regional experience: If you are relocating, explain which aspects of your experience could transfer to Florida’s projects and ground conditions.

For senior engineers, principals and 'seller-doers'

Technical expertise still matters, but firms also want evidence of commercial and leadership impact. Include:

• P&L responsibility: Show the scale of the budgets, offices or business units you have managed.
• Business development: Quantify the work or revenue you have helped generate where possible.
• Team leadership: State the number of people or direct reports you have managed.
• Business growth: Include examples of expanding a client base, office, service line or project pipeline.
• Leadership responsibilities: Make your progression and the results you delivered in each position clear.

These details are frequently missing from experienced engineers’ resumes, according to Augustinas. Making them easy to find can help an employer quickly understand what you could contribute to a growing Florida operation.

What's next for Florida's geotechnical market?

Infrastructure investment and continued development point towards sustained demand for geotechnical expertise. Consolidation could also reshape the employment market over the next three to five years, with Augustinas seeing larger engineering businesses acquiring smaller and mid-sized firms across Florida. He expects this activity to create greater movement between companies, while also producing opportunities for new engineering firms and consultancies to enter the market.

That could create two parallel trends.

Larger businesses may continue expanding through acquisitions, while experienced engineers move into smaller or mid-sized organizations where they can take on greater leadership responsibility. Other professionals may choose to establish new businesses as the volume of available work increases.

For employers, this could make competition for licensed and commercially capable geotechnical engineers even stronger.

For professionals, it creates a reason to understand what the market could offer, even if they are not actively searching today. According to Augustinas:

Your next career opportunity 

LVI Associates works with geotechnical engineering professionals and organizations across Florida and the wider US infrastructure market.