In August 2020, the Biscayne Bay suffered an unprecedented loss of wildlife due to record high temperatures and contamination from human activity. Citizens across the county witnessed hundreds of thousands of dead fish littering the coastal waters of Biscayne Bay. On behalf of the citizens of Miami-Dade County and South Florida at large, we urge county and state officials to implement the following calls to action to preserve the Biscayne Bay and its marine wildlife:

• Eliminate the use of pesticides and fertilizers during the summer months of June - October to mitigate the damage of toxic storm drain pollution during periods of heavy rainfall.
• Implement better stormwater treatment to capture pollutants and contaminants from surface water runoff before they reach the Biscayne Bay by implementing Vortech and Stormceptor units at Stormwater pump stations and outfall systems.
• Convert all houses with septic tanks to sewer line connections to prevent more nutrients from waking into the watershed.
• Install filtration systems for micro-pollution (such as microplastics) and macro- pollution (such as non-recyclable single-use plastic) across the 28,000 catch basins and curb inlets around the city of Miami to prevent further environmental catastrophe in Biscayne Bay. In response to the Florida Law that bans local governments from enacting plastic bag bans, our city needs to implement innovative solutions to prevent further environmental catastrophe actively. With increased street sweeping maintenance, this would still cost less than Storm Drain vacuuming maintenance.
• Existing Seagrass beds need to be protected at all costs to prevent further spread of dead zones within Biscayne Bay. By increasing signage and educational campaigns for boaters, adding more no motor zones, and increasing fines for boaters that cause prop scars.

As an iconic coastal city and cultural Mecca whose economy and livelihood are so dependent on our beaches and water -- failure is not an option. We, the residents of Miami Dade County, implore county and state officials to take immediate action to protect our increasingly endangered Bay and marine wildlife.

Pictures courtesy of Theo Quenee. To learn more follow @SENDIT4THESEA