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at University of Miami, says: “SEAHIVE elements are about the compound effect we could have if we installed these
manufactured using sustainable concrete mixtures and non- across even a fraction of the hundreds miles of waterway edge
corrosive reinforcement.” This kind of structure lies below the in Greater Fort Lauderdale.”
waterline allowing water to flow through hollow hexagonal
concrete units, which lowers storm surge energy. The top So what can we do?
can be filled with soil to grow coastal vegetation such as Since our waterways and beaches are the heart of our
mangroves, providing even more protection from storm surge beautiful city, Fort Lauderdale needs to be the leader in
as well as improving the marine environment. restoring and maintaining their strength and vitality.

Dr. Landolf added: “There is a great need for sustainable and Many residents live, work and play on these waters and can
efficient solutions for shoreline protection and SEAHIVE is a think back to a time on how clean and clear they used to be.
solution in our portfolio, but there are also many other ideas “I remember swimming with my friends in the New River when
and green technologies under development. We are excited I was a kid, the water was clear, and the Jungle Queen even
to collaborate with the local communities on SEAHIVE projects threw peanuts at us”, says Fort Lauderdale resident Harry
and beyond.” Rozelle. It may be a far reach to make these waters safe and
swimmable once again, but shouldn’t we at least try? Our
Neighboring cities such as Pompano Beach’s Wahoo Bay’s economy and community may depend on it!
Educational Marine Park, and North Bay Village in Miami
Dade are currently working with Dr. Landolf and his team as “Our quality of life is directly correlated with the health of our
part of their cities’ green engineering alternative program. waterways,” says Mayor Dean Tantalis. “With over 160 miles
of navigable waterways in Fort Lauderdale, we must work
Dr. Keith Van de Riet’s company, Mangrove Reef Walls, symbiotically with Mother Nature to achieve the purest and
emerged from a research project focused on living seawalls. healthiest waters. Living sea walls are an innovative method to
“My company, (which has a number of active pilot projects protect our lives and property as well as restore and nurture the
here in South Florida), is working on saltwater and freshwater aquatic ecosystem that we so heavily rely on.”
living walls and panels to create habitat, improve water
quality and dissipate wave energy, as well as enhance the
appearance of constructed shorelines,” says Dr. Keith. “We
have multiple ways to install them. They can be precast
panels attached to an existing seawall, or cast in-place
over an existing seawall, or installed integrally with a new
seawall.” These seawall panels mimic form and function of red
mangrove tree roots and oyster reefs that occur naturally in
Florida and are made from marine-friendly concrete, creating
habitat niches for juvenile crabs, snails, fish, and others to
escape predators.
“A single oyster can filter between 20-50 gallons of water per
day, but during the 20th Century, oysters in U.S. coastal waters
declined by nearly 90% - and up to 99% percent in the Fort
Lauderdale area,” added Dr. Keith. “A constructed oyster reef
just 100 feet long, placed across a single waterfront property,
could filter almost a million gallons of water in a day. Think

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzee Bailey resides in the Las Olas Isles and is a newly appointed member of the City of Fort Lauderdale
Sustainability Advisory Board. Suzee is also the Founder of Residents for Resilience, a not-for-profit
organization whose main goal is to bring important Fort Lauderdale water-related issues to the forefront of
public awareness. Her love for water-sport activities and a background in journalism and broadcasting has
led to her staunch advocacy for South Florida water quality issues. She shares her love of nature and sports
with her husband Hall of Fame Jockey, Jerry Bailey and their son, Justin, an attorney in Fort Lauderdale.

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