OUR STORY

CEO & PRINCIPAL DESIGNER

Nick grew up in St johns county and still calls this home, where he lives with his wife and two children. His exposure to landscaping and the horticultural industry started early, working in his Father’s landscaping business as a teenager and into his early twenties. During this time, he pivoted his career and began focusing on earning a college degree, later pursuing a career in the medical field, earning a Masters Degree in Physician Assistant Studies. Since 2018, he has worked in this profession, practicing in urgent care medicine.

Shortly after starting this new career, he felt a calling to return to landscaping, where it all began; but this time in a different capacity. Nick wanted to create a company that was focused on blending ecology and nature with his traditional landscaping background. In 2020, he founded Wacca Pilatka. What started as a humble solo enterprise has grown over the years into a thriving business. Nick takes great pride in owning a company that promotes and restores biodiversity, enhances the lives of others and brings people closer to nature.

Nick’s favorite native plant is Lopside Indian Grass, the larval host plant for the Delaware skipper, Dusted skipper and Swarthy skipper.

OWNER & FOREMAN

Tommy is a Jacksonville native, with over 15 years of landscape and irrigation experience. He started his landscaping career as a landscape lead at The University of North Florida under Horticulturalist Charles “Chuck” Hubbuch. He finish his career at UNF after 12 years as a Building Automation Control Technician. Tommy realized his passion was to be outdoors as much as he could, so he resigned from UNF to start his venture of becoming a asset in the landscaping industry. He’s a certified MaxicomTech, a certified Rain Bird Irrigation Technician and a FNGLA member.

Tommy owes his love of gardening to his great grandmother, a well-respected gardener featured in her local newspaper. “I always found myself helping out with harvesting, raking, watering. Her teaching stuck with me.” His hobbies includes ATV riding, jet skiing, hiking, landscaping and spending time with his family of five. In Tommy’s words, “When I walk nature trails and even through my own backyard,I enjoy watching nature close up, and want to contribute to it through our work.”

Tommy’s favorite quote: “Nature as a whole is immortal, respect it as so.”

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Crystal, a Northeast Florida native and our Operations Manager, is a visual artist and born naturalist whose work integrates nature and storytelling. Drawing inspiration from the environment, she transforms ethically collected natural specimens, artifacts and found objects into artwork. With a strong focus on sustainability and environmental awareness, Crystal's workshops on terrarium construction, gardening, and art assemblage encourage deeper engagement with nature. Her artistic vision aligns seamlessly with our mission and the values of Florida-friendly and native plant landscaping, promoting biodiversity and an intrinsic connection to the natural world. Crystal operates from her studio in the CoRK Arts District, where she also serves as Studio Director, tapping into her background as a legal assistant and office administrator.

Outside of the studio, Crystal enjoys hiking, snorkeling and exploring Florida's natural springs, spending time with her pets, experimenting with plant propagation and working in her home garden.

Crystal’s favorite native plants are Rattlesnake Master, Yarrow and Buttonbush for their unique blooms and benefits to wildlife.

GARDEN CREW

Jonathon has been working as a Chef most of his life, which sparked a passion for growing plants, building a homestead of edible landscape and pollinator attractors alike. Most of his training in horticultural has been self taught, but he has recently been certified through the University of Florida's IFAS Extension Program for Florida Friendly Landscaping in June 2023. He has grown his knowledge of landscaping and irrigation practices substantially by working with Wacca Pilatka, looking forward to learning more and gaining more professional certifiications through continuing education programs.

Jonathon is an amateur mycologist and quite adept at identifying edible plants and fungi with an interest in restorative ecological practices to keep nature wild. His favorite native plants are yarrow, for the medicinal benefits it holds; sassafras, as it is a component of the Creole dish gumbo, which is a favorite of his; and fleabane, more than a pretty flower, it is a native edible who's leaves contain a caffeic acid which has antioxidant properties and protects neuronal cells.

Bonus fact: Jonathon has a tendency to take discarded plants and care for them back to health, a combination of a plant whisperer and Poison Ivy from DC Comics fame.

GARDEN CREW

Hailing originally from Puerto Rico, Ely has called St. Augustine, FL home for the last few decades. After some serious soul searching, she left her 15-year engineering career to work with plants and natural systems. Having first been introduced to ecosystem restoration in the early 2000s while working on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), Ely developed a passion for invasive plant management. A believer that every garden can be an opportunity to restore and create a sanctuary for both people and wildlife, she turned her interests and volunteerism into her next career at Wacca Pilatka.

Ely received a Graduate Certificate in Weed Science focusing on invasive plant management in natural areas from the University of Florida (UF), a Florida Master Naturalist Certification in invasive plants, along with her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering also from UF. She enjoys talking with customers on their unique gardens and looks forward to enhancing her outreach and education skills, particularly with youth age groups, to educate them on the value of plants in thriving communities.

Her favorite native plant is the purple passionflower vine (Passiflora incarnata) because of its insanely intriguing blooms as the host plant for the zebra longwing and gulf fritillary. When not working in gardens, you can find Ely running, reading, or doing anything out on the ocean with her husband and daughter.

Bonus fact about Ely: Her favorite quote is from Albert Einstein: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

GARDEN MAINTENANCE CREW

Jake grew up in Miami, where his first job was animal caretaker at Miami-Dade College’s Environmental Center, a 10-acre preserve. He ended working there for 16 years as a lead naturalist and grounds-supervisor. He worked on Everglades restoration projects and as a wetland restoration technician, specializing in exotic invasive plant removal. Designing and installing butterfly gardens in Dade-County added to his experience working with native plants.

Jake has now been in Jacksonville for over six years with his wife and two teenage boys and has come to love and appreciate North Florida’s habitat and ecosystems. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UNF in Environmental Studies and Biology to bolster his naturalist skills. Jake’s knowledge of our native ecosystems provides education to our clients and reinforces our mission of bringing people closer to nature.