Adrian Tiafierro Keys is a landscape architect and founder of Keys Ecological Design, a Sarasota-based studio known for blending modern design with Florida’s natural systems. Born in Sarasota in 1984, he grew up exploring mangroves, dunes, and waterways near the Myakka River. His father worked in landscape contracting and his mother taught art, giving him an early mix of technical skill and creativity. He spent weekends learning grading and irrigation on job sites and evenings sketching ideas at the kitchen table.
Adrian graduated from Booker High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Program, then earned his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida. He later completed a master’s degree in Environmental Design from Florida International University, focusing on coastal resilience and ecological restoration.
After gaining experience at TierraForma Design Studio in Tampa, he returned to Sarasota in 2014 to launch his own firm. His projects include the Bayfront Park Redevelopment, Ringling College Arts Campus Courtyard, and several coastal residential landscapes. His work has earned multiple awards and has been featured in major design publications.
Adrian Tiafierro Keys also serves on the board of the Florida Chapter of ASLA and teaches at the University of South Florida, sharing his knowledge with future designers. He co-founded GulfGrow, a community initiative helping residents replace lawns with native gardens.
He lives in Sarasota’s Laurel Park with his wife and children. His career reflects a simple belief: success comes from understanding the land, working with its strengths, and creating spaces that protect both people and nature.
Q&A With Adrian Tiafierro Keys: A Conversation on Success
Q: How do you personally define success?
Success, to me, is when the work you do aligns with the values you live by. I grew up between two worlds — my father’s landscape projects and my mother’s art classroom. I learned early that success isn’t about perfection or titles. It’s about building something honest, something that reflects who you are. If a landscape I design can improve a community’s resilience or reconnect someone with nature, that feels like success.
Q: What early experiences shaped your understanding of success?
My earliest lessons came from helping my father on job sites around Sarasota. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. If I didn’t level a grade properly, he’d have me redo it, even if it meant staying late. At the time, it felt like punishment. Later, I realized he was teaching me consistency and respect for the craft. That idea — that the details matter — carried into every part of my career.
In contrast, my mother pushed me to experiment. She’d say, “Draw it wrong first, then draw it right.” That helped me understand that mistakes are part of learning, not something to hide.
Q: What role has education played in your success?
Education opened doors I didn’t even know existed. At the University of Florida, I learned the technical language of landscape architecture. At Florida International University, during my master’s program, I learned how to ask deeper questions — about coastal resilience, water systems, and ecological adaptation.
But the most important part of my education came later, through fieldwork. You can study hydrology in a classroom, but watching stormwater move through a site during a summer downpour teaches you things no textbook can.
Q: What habits have helped you succeed over time?
One habit that changed everything for me is walking the sites I design at unexpected times — early morning, after storms, or long after the project is built. I’ve learned more from watching how a bioswale fills during a rain event or how native grasses react to seasonal drought than from any formal review.
I also set aside time each evening to outline the next day. I write down only three main tasks. It forces clarity. And clarity is a form of discipline.
Q: What is one belief about success that you hold strongly?
I believe slow progress is often better than fast success. Nature doesn’t rush, and landscapes teach patience. If you plant a dune system and expect it to perform like concrete, you’ll be disappointed. But give it time, and it becomes stronger than any wall.
That mindset has shaped how I run my business. When I launched Keys Ecological Design, I didn’t try to scale quickly. I focused on the right projects, the right collaborators, and the right mission.
Q: Have you ever failed at something important, and what did you learn from it?
Absolutely. In my first year running the firm, I underestimated a budget for a courtyard project. The mistake was on me. I spent weeks correcting it, and though the client was satisfied, I learned a tough lesson: success requires structure, not just creativity.
After that, I built better systems for estimating costs, checking assumptions, and reviewing constraints before promising anything.
Q: What advice would you give someone who feels stuck on their path to success?
Go spend time with whatever inspires you. For me, that’s water — kayaking through mangrove tunnels or paddleboarding on the Myakka River. When you reconnect with something that grounds you, you start thinking clearly.
I’d also say: seek out one challenge a year that scares you. When I joined the ASLA Florida board and later co-chaired the Sustainability and Resilience Committee, I wasn’t entirely sure I was ready. But stepping into that responsibility changed my understanding of leadership.
Q: What is one unconventional thing that has helped you succeed?
I keep a “failure folder.” It holds sketches that didn’t work, plant palettes that failed, and notes from projects that taught me hard lessons. I revisit it every few months. It reminds me that missteps are part of progress.
Q: What does success look like for you in the future?
Success, going forward, means helping Florida adapt to climate change in ways that are meaningful and accessible. That includes the “Living Shoreline Design Toolkit” my team is developing and community work like GulfGrow. If more people understand how their own yards can support resilience, then we’re moving in the right direction.