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Site Development

Site Development & Site Preparation Contractor in Southwest Florida

Before anything gets built, the ground has to be right. That’s not a marketing line — it’s just the reality of construction. A slab poured on a poorly prepared site cracks. A drainage system installed without the right grades floods. A commercial pad that wasn’t properly cleared and compacted causes problems for every trade that comes behind it. Site development is the work nobody sees once the building goes up, which is exactly why it has to be done correctly the first time.

Universal Trax has been doing site preparation work in Southwest Florida for over 20 years. Brian Cox started the company in La Belle doing site prep, built it from the ground up, and earned his Florida CGC license (CGC1528772) as the operation grew to handle the full scope of what commercial and residential developers actually need. Today Universal Trax runs both a horizontal site work division and a vertical construction division — site clearing through Certificate of Occupancy, under one license, with one point of contact.

Our site development clients include Habitat for Humanity of Lee/Hendry and Collier Counties, Babcock Ranch, the City of Fort Myers, the City of Bonita Springs, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. That client list is not an accident. It’s 20 years of showing up, doing the work correctly, and answering the phone when something comes up.

“We have a lot of repeat clientele because we are responsive, we give them the one-on-one time to understand their needs and price accordingly. No unnecessary change orders, no hidden fees, and no lapses in scopes.”

— Brian Cox, Owner — Universal Trax of South Florida

Full-Service Site Preparation for Commercial & Residential Projects

Site development is not one task — it’s a sequence of tasks that have to happen in the right order with the right equipment and the right coordination between phases. Miss a step or hand off between too many subcontractors and you’re looking at delays, rework, and a general contractor who stops calling you back.

Our site preparation process covers the full scope from raw land to construction-ready grade:

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Owner & Land clearing and vegetation removal — full clear or selective, based on project requirements General Contractor

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Rough grading and cut/fill earthwork to design elevations

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Stormwater drainage design and installation — culverts, inlets, retention grading

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Underground utility trenching and installation

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Foundation pad preparation with suitable fill placement and compaction

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Finish grading to engineered grades

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Erosion control and silt fence installation

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Driveway cuts, culvert installation, and drive aprons

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Sod installation and final site restoration

When grading is complete and drainage is in, if framing or vertical construction is part of the scope, our vertical division picks up from there. No handoff to a separate company. No gap in scheduling. The same CGC license that covered the site work covers the building.

Site Development for Commercial Land Development

Most of our site development work is B2B — developers, general contractors, and project managers who need a site work sub that does not require managing. That’s a specific kind of client relationship and it requires a specific kind of contractor.

Here’s what repeat commercial clients tell us keeps them coming back: we communicate. Brady Herndon, who runs the vertical division and coordinates on combined scopes, provides a projected schedule with every proposal. Clients know what’s happening today, what’s happening tomorrow, and what the next milestone is. Brian Cox is involved in operations at the ownership level — he knows what’s going on across every active job.

In Florida, the bar for contractor communication is low. Most developers have been burned by crews that go quiet after the contract is signed. That’s not how we operate, and the clients who have worked with us for years — some for over two decades — will tell you that directly.

Universal Trax is a registered vendor with Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Pasco counties. We’ve completed government contracts for municipal clients across South Florida, which means our documentation, insurance, lien waiver process, and compliance paperwork are already in order for clients who require it.

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Southwest Florida Site Development — What the Ground Actually Looks Like

Site preparation in Southwest Florida is not the same as site work anywhere else in the country. The water table is high, the soils shift from sandy fill to shell rock to muck within the same parcel, and drainage is not optional — it’s the difference between a site that works and one that floods every wet season.

High Water Table and Drainage Design

Much of Lee, Collier, and Charlotte County sits on a water table that can be within a few feet of the surface during the wet season. Proper site development in this environment requires grading that accounts for sheet flow, positive drainage away from structures, and stormwater infrastructure sized for Southwest Florida rainfall volumes — not national averages. We’ve installed drainage systems for residential developments, commercial pads, and municipal right-of-ways across the region.

site preparation southwest florida foundation pad compaction suitable fill

Soil Conditions — Sandy Fill, Shell Rock, and Muck

What you find when you start digging in Southwest Florida depends heavily on where you are. Coastal areas often have sandy soils that require import fill for proper compaction under a slab. Inland areas — particularly in Hendry County and the La Belle corridor where we’ve worked extensively — can have shell rock that requires breaking before grading. Low-lying areas near wetland buffers can have organic muck that has to be removed and replaced with suitable fill before any structural work begins. We’ve dealt with all of it and we price it honestly upfront.

Permitting in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Hendry Counties

Site development in Southwest Florida requires navigating county permitting, SFWMD environmental review on sites near waterways or wetlands, and in some cases FDEP coordination for larger projects. We work in all four counties regularly and understand what each jurisdiction requires before a site work permit is issued. For municipal and government projects, we’ve already gone through the vendor qualification process — our paperwork is in order.

Stormwater Drainage & Infrastructure

Stormwater drainage is not an afterthought in Southwest Florida. Get it wrong and you have standing water, erosion, failed county inspections, and a developer who won’t hire you again. Get it right and the site drains the way it’s supposed to, the inspections pass, and the next trade comes in on schedule.

We’ve installed stormwater drainage infrastructure at every scale — from residential lot culverts to municipal inlet and pipe systems. Our government drainage work includes culvert and inlet installation for the City of Bonita Springs and post-Hurricane Ian water service restoration at Fort Myers Beach. The DEP work Brian mentioned during onboarding — storm structures, culvert pipe for storm drain, erosion repairs on lake banks — that’s the same capability applied to every site development project we run.

Universal Trax performed complete site development on residential builds for Habitat for Humanity across two separate county organizations — Lee/Hendry and Collier. Full scope covered land clearing, foundation pad preparation with suitable fill, footings, block and concrete stem wall, backfill, pad preparation and pour, driveway cut and culvert installation, drive apron and parking pad, final grade, and sod installation. Two county organizations, one license, start to finish. Habitat for Humanity has been a repeat client for over 20 years across multiple builds — not one project, a sustained working relationship built on delivering exactly what was promised.

🏗 Case Study: Habitat for Humanity — Lee/Hendry & Collier Counties (Full Site Development Scope)

habitat for humanity site development lee county florida universal trax full scope

From Site Work to Finished Building — Under One License

Universal Trax is built for developers who want one contractor, one contract, and one phone number from groundbreaking to certificate of occupancy. Brian Cox merged his vertical construction operation into Universal Trax specifically to create this capability — the company that breaks your ground is the same company that frames the building and hangs the drywall.

This matters for two reasons. First, there is no coordination gap between the site work crew and the framing crew — they’re the same company. Second, everything is covered under one CGC license, which simplifies contracts, insurance certificates, and lien waiver documentation for developers and owners who need clean paperwork.

Brady Herndon runs the vertical division and is currently active on projects including residential builds and work at Florida Gulf Coast University. The vertical side takes on all scopes that are outside of the horizontal scope that have nothing to do with the horizontal side — two separate divisions, one company, one license.

universal trax site work and framing contractor southwest florida ground to finish

Site Development Service Area — Southwest Florida

Florida CGC license CGC1528772 covers statewide work. We hold vendor registration with Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Pasco counties and have completed government-contracted site work in all of them.

We’re based in Alva, FL, in the middle of our primary service territory. Active service areas for site development include:

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Fort Myers and Lee County — primary market, government and municipal work confirmed

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Cape Coral

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Naples and Collier County

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Bonita Springs — City of Bonita Springs stormwater work completed

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Lehigh Acres

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Punta Gorda and Charlotte County — Babcock Ranch work completed

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Hendry County and La Belle corridor — original service area

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Pasco County and broader South Florida on larger projects

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Site Development

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a site development contractor do?

A site development contractor prepares raw land for construction. That means clearing the vegetation, grading the land to proper elevations, installing drainage and stormwater infrastructure, running underground utilities, and bringing the site to a finished grade ready for a slab or foundation. Universal Trax handles all of that in-house under one license — no handing off phases to different subs.

Do I need a licensed contractor for site preparation work in Florida?

Yes. Grading, drainage, and underground utility work in Florida typically requires a licensed general contractor or specialty contractor. Universal Trax holds Florida CGC license CGC1528772, which covers all phases of site work statewide. The license is publicly verifiable through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

How long does site development take?

It depends on site size, scope, soil conditions, and permitting. A residential lot can be cleared and graded in a few days. A larger commercial site with drainage and underground utilities may take several weeks. We provide a projected schedule with every proposal — not a vague timeline, an actual sequence of what happens when — so you know what to expect before we start.

Can Universal Trax handle both the site work and the vertical construction?

Yes. We run a horizontal site work division and a vertical construction division under the same CGC license. If you need one contractor from groundbreaking to finished building, that’s what we’re built for. The framing and drywall crews are the same company as the site work crew. No coordination gap, no finger-pointing between subs, one contract.

Does Universal Trax do stormwater drainage for commercial sites?

Yes. Stormwater drainage is part of our standard site development scope. We’ve installed culvert and drainage infrastructure for the City of Bonita Springs, completed post-Ian water service restoration at Fort Myers Beach, and done DEP-coordinated drainage and erosion repair work at Babcock Ranch. Commercial site drainage, retention pond grading, and inlet installation are regular work for our crews.

What makes Universal Trax different from other site development contractors?

Twenty years in Southwest Florida, a clean CGC license, a government and municipal client roster that most site contractors never touch, and a simple operating principle: when a client calls with a need, they get action. Not a callback next week. Brian Cox built this company on the idea that his word and his handshake should mean something — that integrity carries you further than the lowest bid. The repeat client list reflects that. Habitat for Humanity, Babcock Ranch, City of Fort Myers, FWC, FDACS — those aren’t one-time jobs. They keep calling back.

Get a Free Site Development Estimate

If you’ve got a site that needs clearing, grading, drainage, or full preparation from raw land to construction-ready grade — reach out. We don’t drag out the proposal process. Tell us what you’ve got and we’ll get back to you fast with a real number and a realistic schedule.

Request a Free Estimate

Call us directly: 239-313-7925

Mon–Fri, 7am–5pm