Report: Miami Dolphins developing 80-acre sod farm to support their home field

The NFL franchise reportedly paid $3.265M for land just west of West Palm Beach to grow its own sod for the Dolphins' home field at Hard Rock Stadium

Hard Rock Stadium grounds crew working on the Dolphins home field (Credit: NBC Sports)
Hard Rock Stadium grounds crew working on the Dolphins home field (Credit: NBC Sports)

The Miami Dolphins apparently are taking a homegrown approach to resolving problems with the turf on their field at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Palm Beach Post reported that the National Football League team quietly acquired land near West Palm Beach to grow sod for its home field at the stadium in Miami Gardens.

In May, an entity called South Florida Sod Farm paid $3.625 million for 80 acres just west of West Palm Beach in the town of Loxahatchee Groves, where residents have been speculating about plans for the land. Crews have cleared trees that once covered the land, located north of North Road between B Road and C Road.

Citing state records, The Palm Beach Post also reported that Todd Boyan, senior vice president of stadium operations for the Dolphins, is listed as the vice president of South Florida Sod Farm.

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The Dolphins organization declined a request from the Post for comment on the sod farm project.

At a news conference in August, Dolphins president and chief executive officer Tom Garfinkel said the team was developing a sod farm “outside of West Palm Beach” to support Hard Rock Stadium and end reliance on outside sod vendors.

Garfkinkel also said the team’s sod farm should be supporting turf integrity at the stadium in time for the Dolphins 2019 season. He spoke at a news conference held to announce the team’s plan to construct a training facility next to Hard Rock Stadium.

The Dolphins organization was criticized during the team’s 2017 and 2018 seasons for the condition of the field at the stadium. [Palm Beach Post]Mike Seemuth