Water first
Find where water enters and where it can leave before moving any dirt. Everything else follows from that.
About Stillwater
Built around water. Grounded in Florida.
Stillwater began with a simple observation: in Florida, many dirt problems are really water problems. Since 2014, we have built the company around that idea.
Built around water
Why Nathan started Stillwater.
Founder Nathan Coley grew up near Palatka and first learned excavation through agricultural work. Farm roads, drainage ditches, ponds, and wet fields showed him how closely usable ground depends on water having somewhere to go.
He later gained experience in site work, retention ponds, stormwater structures, and grading. In 2014, he started Stillwater with an excavator and a compact track loader. Pond and drainage jobs brought repeat referrals, and the company increasingly built its work around that specialty.
A deliberate specialty
By 2018, Stillwater had shifted its identity toward ponds, drainage, erosion, and wet-property earthwork. Equipment investment followed the work, including long-reach excavation capability for pond projects.
Today, two field crews handle projects for acreage owners, farms, horse properties, HOAs, and commercial property managers. Nathan remains involved in evaluating complex sites and planning the water route before excavation begins.
The questions come before the equipment
Where does the water enter? Where can it appropriately leave? What happens when the next heavy rain arrives? Those questions shape our work, and customers deserve a clear explanation of the proposed scope before anything is dug.
What we believe
Four ideas that shape every job.
Honest scope
You get a clear explanation of the work, the reasoning, and the cost before the machines show up.
Right equipment
Long-reach excavators and tracked machines that can work where wet ground stops lighter equipment.
Built to last
Banks, swales, and crossings designed to hold up season after season, not just until the next rain.
Stillwater at a glance
Small enough to stay hands-on.
2014
Founded in Ocala, Florida
2
Field crews serving Marion County
~45 mi
Core service radius around Ocala
3
Core specialties: ponds, drainage, erosion
Who we work with
We help property owners across Ocala and Marion County solve water problems — from single-acre homeowners to large working farms. Most of our customers fit a few familiar groups.
- Acreage owners with ponds, wet yards, or land that holds water after rain.
- Horse farms that need dry pastures, barns, and access routes.
- HOAs and communities managing shared retention and stormwater areas.
- Commercial property managers responsible for drainage and stormwater upkeep.