Our Mission

We protect South Florida’s waters by advocating for resilient solutions grounded in science, rooted in nature, and driven by community.

Our Vision

We envision a resilient South Florida that is a global leader in clean water solutions, where thriving communities and nature coexist.

Our Story

Florida's 8,000 miles of coastline and over 800 miles of beaches aren’t just for relaxing. They’re doing heavy lifting for our economy, while providing essential services like climate regulation, provision of food, and protection from natural hazards. Visiting a beach or waterway is the number one activity of Florida's tourists—undeniably the biggest draw for our $112 billion in annual tourism revenue. Almost half a million people are directly employed in our ocean economy. And all of this—Florida's tourism industry, job market, recreation, environment, and even Florida's culture—depends on having clean water. 

But Florida’s waterways are particularly vulnerable to pollution because of our low elevation, porous limestone geology, and the threat of sea level rise. In South Florida, climate change isn’t just a computer model; it’s daily life. Miami is a thin sliver of dry ground surrounded by water on all sides -- including below our feet. Our porous, low-lying geology makes us among the world’s most vulnerable cities to sea level rise. Flooding and failing infrastructure constantly flush pollution into our waterways, causing them to spiral into decline.

On the front lines against these daunting challenges, you can find Miami Waterkeeper, a small but mighty team of fearless advocates for clean water. We occupy a void that would otherwise be filled by pollution, floodwaters, and environmental destruction. Miami Waterkeeper works toward a vision of swimmable, drinkable, and fishable water for all. These are rights granted to us by the Clean Water Act, but environmental laws work only if people are willing to stand up for them. Empowering the community, we use science, advocacy, and outreach to protect our waterways from pollution and prepare South Florida for the future.

Miami Waterkeeper focuses on clean water, ecosystem protection, and sea level rise resiliency. First, we tackle issues of clean water throughout the Biscayne Bay watershed, from the Everglades to our coral reefs. Second, we protect the ecosystems that depend on that clean water, including corals, seagrasses, and mangroves. Finally, we focus on sea level rise resiliency, which guides all areas of our work. We employ a multidisciplinary approach, which includes science, policy & advocacy, and education & outreach.

Employing our multidisciplinary strategy, we’ve secured significant protections for our waterways. We use this approach to find local solutions to the global problem of climate change. By standing up for clean water, we are making Miami a shining example of resiliency for the world -- water win by water win.

Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that our work takes place on the land within the territories of the Miccosukee and Seminole peoples. We further acknowledge that eight contemporary tribal nations are historically tied to the lands that make up the US state of Florida.

Technology Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that this website is made possible through the connected devices and networks of the internet, which is a material infrastructure that is built through natural resource extraction and human labor, and which depends on vast and constant energy consumption and generates greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

Learn about our diversity, equity, and inclusion policies >>