We, the undersigned, petition the City of Hollywood to address the issue of poor shore-based Sargassum management in our community. Our coasts have faced erosion and beach-grading, posing a major concern for the environment of Hollywood. We believe that implementing a Sargassum composting system in Hollywood, Florida, is essential in protecting marine habitats and providing a sustainable source of compost for the city.

      Fertilizer runoff and ocean warming have caused Sargassum seaweed blooms out in the Atlantic Ocean to increase substantially. This has caused more Sargassum to wash up along the shores of South Florida. Shore-based Sargassum is generally frowned upon by the public and decreases tourism, leading to many beachside cities finding methods of removing it. In my home city, Hollywood, Sargassum is mixed into the sand using beach rakes. This practice wastes a natural resource, causes coastal erosion, removes habitat, and changes the shoreline of Hollywood.

     By setting up an area in a local park where collected Sargassum can be composted (a system that is successfully being used in Ft. Lauderdale), Hollywood will benefit environmentally as the collection process will remove trash and excess seaweed from our beaches. Hollywood will also benefit from a financially, as the city will gain a sustainable source of fertile soil that can be used for numerous projects!

     Growing up by the beach in South Florida, I have had firsthand experience in the way Sargassum quantities have changed and how poorly we are managing this overabundance. Due to urbanization, the natural areas left in Hollywood are so scarce that it is even more detrimental that we protect the habitat that is left.

     By signing below, you are supporting the creation of a better management strategy for Sargassum overabundance that mutually benefits the people of Hollywood and the beaches we all love!