Save Biscayne Bay: Pass a Fertilizer Ordinance in Miami Dade County, Florida

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Save Biscayne Bay: Pass a Fertilizer Ordinance in Miami Dade County, Florida

For years, the Surfrider Miami Chapter has advocated for fertilizer restrictions to reduce the flow of nutrients into Biscayne Bay and other local waterways. Biscayne Bay suffers from high nutrient levels, and overuse of fertilizers is posing a dangerous threat to the Bay and marine wildlife that reside in it.

Biscayne Bay is of immense economic value to the City and County, it is estimated that a healthy Biscayne Bay is worth $3.3 billion and the Bay drives numerous economic and recreational opportunities for snorkeling, diving, wildlife viewing, recreational fishing, and more.

Excessive nutrient levels from sewage, animal waste and fertilizers stimulate plant growth in waterways, leading to algae blooms, surface scum and mats of seaweed that suck up most of the available oxygen when they eventually decompose. Without sufficient dissolved oxygen, fish and other aquatic species suffocate, causing massive fish kills like those experienced in August 2020 in Biscayne Bay.

Join us in asking the Miami Dade Mayor and County Commissioners to enact a fertilizer ordinance to protect Biscayne Bay and prevent it from becoming a dead zone.

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I am deeply concerned about the damage fertilizers are causing to Miami’s canals and water bodies, specifically Biscayne Bay.  Biscayne Bay supports $3.3 billion of economic activity to Miami City and County, and provides abundant recreational opportunities.

Unfortunately, human activity and development have resulted in a steady stream of pollutants entering Biscayne Bay and its contributing tributaries. Agricultural and urban runoff and a barrage of sewage infrastructure failures have led to the over-fertilization, or eutrophication, of Biscayne Bay, along with many of Florida’s waterways. High nutrient levels have led to algae blooms, and consequently dangerously low oxygen levels that have resulted in massive fish kills in our beloved bay.

We urge the County to do what it can to reduce the flow of nutrients into the Bay and to pass a county-wide fertilizer ordinance. A number of cities within Miami-Dade County have already passed local ordinances, but a county-wide solution would have a much greater impact than relying on a city-by-city approach. Just to the North, Martin County has a successful county-wide fertilizer ordinance that restricts the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus allowed in residentially applied fertilizers and places common sense limits on where and when fertilizers should be applied to ensure they don’t end up in our treasured waterways.

We urge you to consider similar controls in Miami-Dade to protect our Biscayne Bay and our other local waterways. Thank you for considering my concerns and the public interests represented by the Surfrider Foundation.

Thank You!

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