2026 Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit
On May 20, 2026, we held the 6th bi-annual Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit at Jungle Island. We had over 450 attendees representing a wonderful cross-section of interests and expertise, from government and business to science, academia, and community/non-profit. Watch the session recordings below. The successful execution of the summit was made possible through the generous financial contributions of various sponsors.
We extend our gratitude to the Title Sponsors: Florida International University (FIU), Ferguson Waterworks, and Miami-Dade County.
We also acknowledge the steadfast support of our Seagrass Level Sponsors: Sea & Shoreline, Commissioner Damian Pardo (City of Miami), Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins (Miami-Dade County), Commissioner Raquel Regalado (Miami-Dade County), LuminSEA, and Cupid Splash. We also recognize the vital contributions of sponsors at the Coral, Manatee and Non-Profit levels.
Opening Sessions
- Opening Remarks & Biscayne Bay Task Force: 10 Year Update
Opening Remarks & Biscayne Bay Task Force: 10 Year Update
- Science and Research in Biscayne Bay: An Update From the Field
Science and Research in Biscayne Bay: An Update From the Field
- Tampa Bay Came Back: What Can Biscayne Bay Learn? A conversation with Ed Sherwood, Executive Director of Tampa Bay Estuary Program
Tampa Bay Came Back:What Can Biscayne Bay Learn? A conversation with Ed Sherwood, Executive Director of Tampa Bay Estuary Program
- Leading For The Bay A Conversation with City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins
Leading For The Bay: A Conversation with City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins
- RAP Progress Report: Status of the Reasonable Assurance Plan to Guide Bay Restoration
RAP Progress Report: Status of the Reasonable Assurance Plan to Guide Bay Restoration
- Connecting Ecosystems: Everglades Restoration, Biscayne Bay Recovery, and the Role of CERP
Connecting Ecosystems: Everglades Restoration, Biscayne Bay Recovery, and the Role of CERP
- Developers' Responsibility to Environmental Stewardship & Biscayne Bay: From Design to Delivery
Developers' Responsibility to Environmental Stewardship & Biscayne Bay: From Design to Delivery
- Award Ceremony
Award Ceremony
- Community Win Jar:
Community Win Jar:
Watch as our community shares the wins, big and small, that moved the needle for the Bay in 2025-2026. These aren't just stories. They're proof that when we work together, real change happens.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
- Spatiotemporal Patterns of Water Quality in Biscayne Bay, a Subtropical Estuary
Spatiotemporal Patterns of Water Quality in Biscayne Bay, a Subtropical Estuary, Seagrass Room.
By: Edward Castaneda
- Morningside Shoreline Project
Morningside Shoreline Project, Bayview Room.
By: Aurora Alcaide
- PANEL: Miami Community ResilientSea: Strategies, Barriers, and Opportunities, Manatee Room.
PANEL: Miami Community ResilientSea: Strategies, Barriers, and Opportunities, Manatee Room.
Panelists:
- Gloria Blaise
- Miyah Brooks
- Karlisa Callwood
- Dalton Hesley
- Amanda Di Perna
- Shannon Jones
- Multi-year Assessment of Land-Based Sources of Pollution and Water Quality in Biscayne Bay, Florida Jhon Mojica Rob Bremer
Multi-year Assessment of Land-Based Sources of Pollution and Water Quality in Biscayne Bay, Florida, Seagrass Room.
By:Jhon Mojica & Rob Bremer
- The Coastline: Nature-Based Defense at the Regional Scale Aaron Demayo
The Coastline: Nature-Based Defense at the Regional Scale, Bayview Room.
By:Aaron Demayo
- From Then to Now: The County’s Biscayne Bay Water Quality Characterization Omar Abdelrahman
From Then to Now: The County’s Biscayne Bay Water Quality Characterization, Seagrass Room.
By:Omar Abdelrahman
- Every Acre Counts: Restoring Natural Areas within Matheson Hammock Mary Zigler
Every Acre Counts: Restoring Natural Areas within Matheson Hammock, Bayview Room.
By:Mary Zigler
- Productive Floating Wetlands Across Freshwater and Brackish Systems in the Biscayne Bay Watershed Jazmin Locke-Rodriguez
Productive Floating Wetlands Across Freshwater and Brackish Systems in the Biscayne Bay Watershed, Seagrass Room.
By:Jazmin Locke-Rodriguez
- Stormwater Report Card for Miami-Dade County: Tracking Municipal Compliance to Protect Biscayne Bay Mariana Aziz
Stormwater Report Card for Miami-Dade County: Tracking Municipal Compliance to Protect Biscayne Bay, Manatee Room.
By:Mariana Aziz
- Seagrass as a Solution for Biscayne Bay Nicholas Muzia
Seagrass as a Solution for Biscayne Bay, Bayview Room.
By:Nicholas Muzia
- Advancing Oyster-Based Coastal Resilience in Biscayne Bay: Integrating Population Insights with Nature-Based Restoration Miya Khoo
Advancing Oyster-Based Coastal Resilience in Biscayne Bay: Integrating Population Insights with Nature-Based Restoration, Seagrass Room.
By:Miya Khoo
- Lessons from Turkey Point on Oversight, Climate Risk, and Water Rachel Silverstein
Lessons from Turkey Point on Oversight, Climate Risk, and Water, Bayview Room.
By: Rachel Silverstein
- The Economic Shield: Why Pollution Prevention is the Ultimate Infrastructure Savings Plan Emilio Lopez
The Economic Shield: Why Pollution Prevention is the Ultimate Infrastructure Savings Plan, Manatee Room.
By:Emilio Lopez
- A Comparative Study on Carbon Pools Between Restored and Non-Restored Mangrove Ecosystems in Miami-Dade County Ivonne Batan
A Comparative Study on Carbon Pools Between Restored and Non-Restored Mangrove Ecosystems in Miami-Dade County, Seagrass Room.
By:Ivonne Batan
- Building Miami's Circular Economy through the Zero Waste Miami coalition Maddie Kaufman
Building Miami's Circular Economy through the Zero Waste Miami coalition, Bayview Room.
By:Maddie Kaufman
- Seagrass Changes Associated with Long-Term Algae Blooms in Biscayne Bay Galia Varona
Seagrass Changes Associated with Long-Term Algae Blooms in Biscayne Bay, Seagrass Room.
By:Galia Varona
- Scaling Community-Based Coastal Conservation: Research and Stewardship at Deering Estate Ana Alexandra Rojas
Scaling Community-Based Coastal Conservation: Research and Stewardship at Deering Estate, Bayview Room.
By:Ana Alexandra Rojas
- Spatiotemporal patterns of seagrass seascape state and stability in Biscayne Bay Ryan James
Spatiotemporal patterns of seagrass seascape state and stability in Biscayne Bay, Seagrass Room.
By:Ryan James
- The More You NOAA: Protecting Biscayne Bay's Federal Resources J.P. Brooker
The More You NOAA: Protecting Biscayne Bay's Federal Resources, Bayview Room.
By:J.P. Brooker
- PANEL City of Miami’s Comprehensive Approach to Pollution Prevention Sonia Brubaker Annie Perez Clara Sidan David Dixon
PANEL: City of Miami’s Comprehensive Approach to Pollution Prevention, Manatee Room.
Panelist:
- Sonia Brubaker
- Annie Perez
- Clara Sidan
- David Dixon
- PANEL From Concrete Edge to Living System: Reimagining shoreline infrastructure for Bay health and climate resilience Albert Gomez Sara Pezeshk Mequela Morena Sandy Moise Parker Hedrick Patricia Matamoros Bryan Harrison
PANEL: From Concrete Edge to Living System:Reimagining shoreline infrastructure for Bay health and climate resilience, Manatee Room.
Panelist:
- Albert Gomez
- Sara Pezeshk
- Mequela Morena
- Sandy Moise
- Parker Hedrick
- Patricia Matamoros
- Bryan Harrison
- WORKSHOP Community Engagement and Advocacy for Equitable Development through The Green Infrastructure Accelerator Project Sofia Bond Theresa Pinto Analisa Akan
WORKSHOP:Community Engagement and Advocacy for Equitable Development through The Green Infrastructure Accelerator Project
Panelists:
- Sofia Bond
- Theresa Pinto
- Analisa Akan
- Evaluation of Sweeping and UV Light Treatment of Street and Sidewalk Surfaces for the Reduction of Enterococci in Stormwater Runoff Helena Solo-Gabriele
Evaluation of Sweeping and UV Light Treatment of Street and Sidewalk Surfaces for the Reduction of Enterococci in Stormwater Runoff, Bayview Room.
By:Helena Solo-Gabriele
- PFAS in the Biscayne Aquifer: Multi‑Year Trends, Contamination Hotspots, and Regulatory Implications for Miami‑Dade Maria Guerra de Navarro
PFAS in the Biscayne Aquifer: Multi‑Year Trends, Contamination Hotspots, and Regulatory Implications for Miami‑Dade, Bayview Room.
By:Maria Guerra de Navarro
- Real-time observation of impacts of nanoplastics on early stage development of Coryphaena hippurus (Mahi Mahi) Alicia Boymelgreen
Real-time observation of impacts of nanoplastics on early stage development of Coryphaena hippurus (Mahi Mahi), Bayview Room.
By: Alicia Boymelgreen
- Public Attitudes to Biscayne Bay: Problems and Solutions, Manatee Room
Public Attitudes to Biscayne Bay: Problems and Solutions, Manatee Room.
By: Julia Wester