Groundskeeper

About the role

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• Groundskeeper
• Date: Nov 2, 2026

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• Requisition No: 886881
• Agency: Military Affairs
• Working Title: Groundskeeper
• Pay Plan: Career Service
• Position Number: 62000084
• Salary: $34,760.00
• Posting Closing Date: 11/16/2026
• Total Compensation Estimator
• Tool
• Department of Military Affairs
• OPEN COMPETITIVE
• APPLICATION DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. on closing date
• VACANCY # 62000084
• WORK LOCATION: Starke, FL
• ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS (DMA)

The mission of the Florida Department of Military Affairs is to provide management oversight of the Florida National Guard and provide units and personnel ready to support national security objectives; to protect the public safety of citizens and to contribute to the national, state and community programs that add value to the United States of America and to the State of Florida.

Our Benefits Include

• Health Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Dental, Vision, and Supplemental Insurance

Retirement Benefits

• Vacation and Sick Leave
• Paid Holidays
• Opportunities for Career Advancement
• Tuition Waiver for Public College Courses
• Training Opportunities
• For benefit information available to State of Florida employees, go to

Conditions of Employment

• New employees of the Department of Military Affairs will be required to pass a pre-employment drug screening.
• New employees of the Department of Military Affairs are required to participate in a direct deposit/electronic transfer program.
• The Department of Military Affairs is paid on a monthly basis.
• This position is a Cooperative Agreement position.
• As a CANDIDATE, you are required to provide documentation (i.e., High School Diploma or Equivalency, College Transcripts, ETC.) to verify meeting these Minimum Qualifications.
• Must be able to obtain a completion of a favorable National Agency Check background investigation clearance.
• *NOTE*

To be considered for this position, application must be fully completed, your responses to qualifying questions for this position must be verifiable by documentation provided through the electronic application process and clearly stated within the employment history.

Minimum Requirements

• A High School Diploma or equivalent; AND
• One (1) year experience landscaping or maintaining grounds and property or related work.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to bend, squat, climb, kneel, twist, grasp, push, and pull.
• Must have manual dexterity with hands and fingers.
• Ability to lift a minimum of 50lbs. or more.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure proper maintenance of base lawns, shrubs, and trees to include

• Maintaining all lawns ensuring that the length does not exceed 6 inches between cuttings
• Maintaining all field areas ensuring that the length does not exceed 8 inches between cutting including fence lines
• Maintaining edging along all sidewalks and curb areas once a month during the growing season
• Maintaining hedges and shrubs ensuring that they are trimmed at least once a month during the growing season
• Caring for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch
• Trimming and/or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls
• Picking up and emptying waste and recycling receptacles as required
• Maintaining irrigation systems, including winterizing the systems and starting them up in spring
• Trimming or picking flowers and cleaning flower beds
• Ability to use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes
• Operate equipment and tools to prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws
• Operate vehicles and powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, chain saws, electric clippers, sod cutters, and pruning saws

Ensures proper maintenance and servicing of mowers, weed eaters, chainsaws, and edging equipment to include:

• Performs minor maintenance and repairs on push and riding type mowers and identifies equipment that require contract maintenance to the Facility Manager
• Performs minor maintenance and repairs of weed eaters, chain saws, hedge trimmers, walk behind edgers, blowers and stick edgers
• Responsible for ensuring an adequate supply of oil, fuel, weed eater string, and minor repair parts are on hand to maintain lawn equipment

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

• Skills in controlling operations of equipment or systems
• The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
• The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
• The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position
• The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Special Reminders

Male applicants born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion unless they are registered with the Selective Services System (SSS) before their 26th birthday, or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. For more information, please visit the SSS website:

All members of the Florida Retirement System are required to contribute 3% of their salary on a pre-tax basis.

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.

• The Department of Military Affairs values and supports employment of individuals with disabilities. Qualified individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
• VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.

Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.

Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.

Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here

. All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.

• Location: STARKE, FL, US, 32091
• ALACHUA, FL, US, 32315
• ALACHUA, FL, US, 32615
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32601
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32605
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32606
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32607
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32608
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32609
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32611
• GAINESVILLE, FL, US, 32641
• GLEN ST MARY, FL, US, 32040
• GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FL, US, 32043
• HAWTHORNE, FL, US, 32640
• JACKSONVILLE, FL, US, 32210
• JACKSONVILLE, FL, US, 32212
• JACKSONVILLE, FL, US, 32219
• JACKSONVILLE, FL, US, 32221
• JACKSONVILLE, FL, US, 32222
• JACKSONVILLE, FL, US, 32244
• KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, FL, US, 32656
• LA CROSSE, FL, US, 32658
• LAKE BUTLER, FL, US, 32054
• LAKE CITY, FL, US, 32024
• LAKE CITY, FL, US, 32025
• LAKE CITY, FL, US, 32055
• LAKE CITY, FL, US, 32056
• LAWTEY, FL, US, 32058
• MACCLENNY, FL, US, 32063
• OLUSTEE, FL, US, 32072
• OLUSTEE, FL, US, 73560
• ORANGE PARK, FL, US, 32065
• ORANGE PARK, FL, US, 32073
• ORANGE PARK, FL, US, 32605
• PALATKA, FL, US, 32007
• PALATKA, FL, US, 32177
• FL, US, 32178
• RAIFORD, FL, US, 32026
• RAIFORD, FL, US, 32083
• ST AUGUSTINE, FL, US, 32092
• STARKE, FL, US, 32608
• WALDO, FL, US, 32694
• Nearest Major Market: Gainsville
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