Owner-operated · Licensed & insured · CPC1459857
License # CPC1459857
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Green Cove Springs isn’t a town we drive out to. It’s home. Our office is at 3052 US-17 S, and as a Green Cove Springs pool builder we know our work is on show to our own neighbors. We build every pool with that in mind.
Southern Pools of Florida is owner-operated and licensed as a Florida pool contractor (CPC1459857). You deal with the owners directly, from the first 3D design to the final walkthrough, and one accountable team runs your project from permit to startup.
Working here every day also means we know the local details that catch out-of-town builders: which addresses sit inside city limits, what the city reviews before it issues a pool permit, and how sandy soil and a high water table near the St. Johns River shape the way a pool has to be built.
Every project starts with your yard: its size and slope, where the afternoon sun lands, and how you want to use the water. From there, it usually comes down to a choice between a custom concrete pool and a fiberglass pool.
A custom concrete pool can take almost any shape, depth or feature you want: tanning ledges, raised spas, spillovers, benches and swim-outs. The finished product is a concrete pool, and the way the concrete is placed is chosen for each project based on the site and the design.
Fiberglass pools arrive as a finished shell, so the build is shorter and the surface is smooth and easy to keep clean. They’re a popular choice in Clay County for families who want to be swimming sooner.
Whichever you choose, we design it in 3D first, so you can see the shape, the finishes and how the pool sits in your yard, and change it until it’s right, before anything is dug.
Still deciding? Our pool packages show pre-designed concrete pools with real renderings and starting prices, and our guide to concrete vs. fiberglass pools walks through the trade-offs. We also install and upgrade pumps, heaters, salt systems and pool automation, and you can browse finished work in our project galleries.
A pool is a permitted structure, and in Green Cove Springs the process depends on which side of the city line your home sits. We handle the permits and inspections as your licensed contractor, but it helps to know what’s involved.
Plenty of homes with a Green Cove Springs address sit outside city limits. The quickest way to check is your property record on the Clay County Property Appraiser’s website: tax district 002 means you’re inside the city, and 001 means unincorporated Clay County. Inside the city, the pool permit comes from the City of Green Cove Springs Building Division. Outside it, the permit comes from the Clay County Building Division.
Inside city limits, a pool goes through planning and zoning review before the building permit is approved. The city’s code allows pools only in side and rear yards, clear of the required setbacks, and keeps overhead power lines at least ten feet from the water’s edge unless they run in conduit. If your home is in a community with a homeowners’ association, the HOA’s approval comes first, and we prepare the plans for that submittal.
Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act requires every new home pool to have at least one approved safety feature before it can pass final inspection: a compliant barrier, an approved safety cover, alarms on the doors and windows that open onto the pool, self-closing and self-latching doors, or an approved in-water pool alarm. State law sets the minimum barrier height at four feet. Green Cove Springs goes further: inside city limits, a pool must be completely enclosed by an approved wall, fence or other structure at least five feet high, with self-closing and self-latching doors. We plan the barrier with the pool, not after it.
The Florida Building Code sets inspections at key points, including one after excavation, steel, bonding and the main drain are in place but before any concrete, and a final inspection once the pool is complete and its safety features are installed. The building official sets the exact sequence, and we schedule each inspection so your build doesn’t stall waiting on one.
Green Cove Springs sits on soils that range from well-drained sand to low, poorly drained flatwoods, and the city’s own planning documents note a high water table, especially along the St. Johns River and Governors Creek. That changes how a pool is dug and supported: groundwater may need to be managed during excavation, and the pool and deck have to be built for sandy ground. Flood zones matter too. Clay County’s floodplain rules require flood permits and elevation certificates for new construction in zones A and AE, and new flood maps for the area are on the way.
Florida law requires a call to Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before digging, so buried utility lines can be marked. It’s part of how we schedule every dig. For a phase-by-phase view of how long each stage takes, see our pool construction timeline guide.
We build throughout Green Cove Springs, from the streets around the historic downtown and Spring Park to Magnolia Point and the neighborhoods along US-17 and State Road 16. Just outside town, we work in Penney Farms and Lake Asbury, and across the rest of Clay County, including Fleming Island, Orange Park and Middleburg.
Some nearby towns, Penney Farms among them, issue their own permits, so we confirm which office covers your address before we design anything. See every community we cover on our service areas page.
Not every project starts with bare ground. If your pool is showing its age, with a rough or stained interior, cracked tile at the waterline, loose coping or a tired deck, we handle pool remodeling and repair across Green Cove Springs. See how we approach resurfacing a pool’s interior and pool deck resurfacing, or browse finished work in our remodel gallery.
Yes. Inside city limits, the permit comes from the City of Green Cove Springs Building Division after planning and zoning review. In unincorporated Clay County, it comes from the Clay County Building Division. Your property record on the Clay County Property Appraiser’s website shows which applies, and as your licensed contractor, we handle the permit and schedule the inspections.
Most pool projects in Clay County take 14 to 20 weeks from signed contract to first swim. Fiberglass installations typically run 12 to 16 weeks, and custom concrete pools 16 to 20. Permitting is the most variable phase, and Clay County plan review typically takes two to four weeks. Our pool construction timeline guide breaks down each phase.
Inside city limits, the city’s code requires a pool to be completely enclosed by an approved wall, fence or other structure at least five feet high, with self-closing and self-latching doors. State law also requires at least one approved safety feature before the pool can pass final inspection. We design the barrier as part of the pool plan.
Yes. We install fiberglass pools as well as custom concrete pools, and we’ll help you decide which suits your yard. See our fiberglass pools page.
Book a free consultation. We’ll look at your yard, your access and what you have in mind, then give you an exact quote. To get a feel for starting prices first, browse our pool packages: pre-designed pools with real renderings.
We’re based in Green Cove Springs and build across Clay County and the surrounding counties. Our service areas page lists the communities we cover.
