Kody Smith

Kody Smith serves as CEO of Dix.Hite + Partners, succeeding Firm co-founder Christina Hite in 2023. Kody has been with Dix.Hite since 2013, serving as Landscape Architect, Principal and Partner. He brings 15 years of experience in landscape architecture and a lifelong passion to his role.

Kody has practiced throughout the world on projects of varying sizes, from broadly scaled urban design projects to detailed fine furniture design and fabrication (one of his many creative interests). Kody is a registered landscape architect in the State of Florida, having lived and practiced in Central Florida since 2008.

Kody has been instrumental in many high-profile projects in and around Central Florida, helping bring the Pulse Interim Memorial to life in addition to countless commercial and residential master plans. His portfolio includes the likes of Starkey Ranch, a 2,500-acre master-planned community in Odessa, Florida, the campus master plan for Cherrylake in Groveland, and one of Central Florida’s fastest-growing connected communities: Lake Nona. Additionally, Kody’s expertise has helped shape the Food Hall in the Packing District, Winter Park Village’s new pedestrian-oriented environment, the planning and design of the Town of Waterlin on Osceola County’s Lake Toho, and The Grow, an agriculture community in Orange County. Playing a key role in the creation of Crest Lake Park, funded directly from the BP oil spill settlement, Kody helped spin an environmental disaster into what is now Clearwater’s statement park.

Kody’s intense respect and passion for the environment and culture of the places he designs is recognized by his teammates, colleagues, and clients, informing his approach and promising excellence in his finished work. His focus on large-scale master-planning projects, urban design, and parks stems from this passion for people, culture, and the power of shared environments. His knack for transforming an existing space into something new, special, and usable shines through with each passing project.

A Midwesterner in background and demeanor –– and a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in landscape architecture –– Kody’s quiet confidence positions him naturally for project and organizational leadership. In addition to his role at Dix.Hite, Kody serves on the board of the Florida Wildflower Foundation and is actively mentoring students at the University of Florida and Purdue University. Above all, he brings a respect to his chosen medium, its end user communities, and the teams that help shape it. It’s in this role that Kody works to transform the perspectives surrounding Florida’s landscapes by demonstrating all that its natural ecologies have to offer.

Kody lives in a 100-year-old home with his wife, Hala, their daughter, Senna, and Asher, the family’s beloved dog.