Question
Got St. augustine sod laid about a month ago.  Seems to be alot of dead grass/thatch from last years growth.  Grass seems to be growing fine except for a few areas that the thatch seems to be stronger.  In the areas where grass is doing fine, there still seems to be some thick thatch.  Did I lay my sod too early? do I need to gget rid of the thatch?  Or is everything ok??

Answer
One month is too short a time for true thatch to build up. I suspect that the sod came in with clippings from mowing at the sod farm. It could be that the sod failed in patches after it was laid. The common causes are lack of water and/or the pieces are not in firm contact with the soil. I won't advise any raking or similar clean up until after the sod has rooted firmly.