WELCOME!
ARE YOU A RESIDENT FOR RESILIENCE?
Are you concerned about:
POLLUTED BEACHES AND WATERWAYS?
COASTAL FLOODING?
STORM SURGE?
IF IT'S SAFE TO DRINK TAP WATER?
:
"Residents for Resilience is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocating for safe-clean drinking water, flood mitigation, coastal resiliency, and waterway restoration in Florida. We aim to bridge the information gap between government leaders, experts, scientists, and the general public, fostering education, communication, advocation, and collaboration.
"It’s hard to care about ...what you don’t know about!"
Our of our main concerns at this time is addressing the pressing marine water issues that threaten the health, safety, environment, and economy of our residents, visitors, and marine ecosystems throughout the state. By empowering individuals and communities, we strive to ensure that residents' concerns are heard and that they are actively involved in important decision-making processes.
Join us as we advocate for change, providing a strong collective voice and promoting preparedness in the face of an ever-changing environment. Together, let us champion resilience and make a lasting impact.
Let your voices be heard!
Suzee Bailey
Founder - Residents for Resilience
RECEIVE OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS AND INVITES TO SPECIAL EVENTS!
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as we share even more informative articles on important water issues!
SOMETIMES THE BEST SOLUTIONS COME FROM THOSE OF US WHO KNOW OUR COMMUNITIES BEST...
THE RESIDENTS
EDUCATION - COMMUNICATION - ADVOCATION - COLLABORATION
"IT’S HARD TO CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT!"
OUR MISSION
To bridge the information gap between government leaders, experts and scientist,
and the general public fostering...
EDUCATION - COMMUNICATIONS - ADVOCATION - COLLABORATION
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R4R Joins Riverside Park for a Powerful Evening on Water Resilience
Sending heartfelt thanks to Esthel Brennan, President, and Danella Williams, Esq. , Vice President of the Riverside Park Residents’ Association, for inviting Residents for Resilience (R4R) to speak at your meeting last Wednesday at the Riverside Park Community Center. Your outstanding leadership is truly commendable!
It was an honor to join Mike Lambrechts, CPFA, in discussing four critical water issues, especially the alarming condition of our local waterways. I was joined by R4R’s Vice President, Tricia Halliday, and we were both deeply moved by the strong turnout and the community’s passion for protecting our waters—and for learning more about innovative flood information and storm resiliency.
The enthusiasm for our nature-based solutions—like “Biochar: "Socks for Your Docks",” mangrove hedges, living seawalls, and panels, and vertical oyster gardens—was incredibly encouraging.
Riverside Park clearly understands the challenges we face and is eager to be part of lasting, positive change. Thank you again, Riverside Park—we look forward to continuing this vital work together!
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FOR YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY
IS IT SAFE TO GO INTO THE WATER?
Miami Waterkeeper test these 13 sites in our Fort Lauderdale Waterways for bacteria levels.
We update this information bi-weekly!
THESE 5 SITES REPEATEDLY TESTS HIGH FOR BACTERIA
1.ANNIE BECK PARK
2.HIMMARSHEE CANAL
3.MIDDLE RIVER NE18TH DOCK
4.SWEETING PARK
5.TARPON RIVER
COONTIE HATCHEE AND COOLEY’S LANDING CAN ALSO FREQUENTLY TESTS HIGHER THAN NORMAL TOO?
THE CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE NOW TEST --
The TARPON RIVER and THE HIMMARSHEE CANAL
AND SHARES THEIR INFORMATION WITH THE WATERKEEPER TESTING PROGRAM -
THAT'S WHY YOU WILL SEE INFREQUENT TEST RESULTS IN THOSE AREAS--
ALL OF THESE SITES CONSISTENTLY TEST HIGH!
AND SOME OF THESE AREAS HAVE AN ACTIVE ALGAL BLOOM!
WE ARE REQUESTING WEEKLY TESTS RESULTS FROM THESE AREAS BE BROUGHT BACK INTO
THIS PROGRAM ALONG WITH THE SOUTHERN ISLES.
REMEMBER...THIS IS OUR DRY SEASON WITH VERY LITTLE, IF ANY RAIN!
According to marine water quality testing data provided by Miami Waterkeeper,many test sites throughout Fort Lauderdale's waterways are currently unsafe for recreational activities.Any measurement exceeding 70 MPN (as you see above in the pink) is considered risky and potentially dangerous. High readings like these are often result from sewer line breaks or heavy rainfall, however, many sites in the pink are on dates with no recent sewer line break alerts and no heavy rainfall. What is the exact cause of these concerning results? In 2025 our goal is to address this on-going critical problem exploring long term nature based solutions!
OTHER MARINE WATER MONITORING PROGRAMS
Tricia Halliday and I had a great time joining Coastal Conservation Association’s
Mike Lambrechts, CPFA, Fort Lauderdale’s City Staff including Assistant City Manager Anthony Fajardo, Urban Forester Laura Tooley, and Todd Hiteshew -for a walk through George English Park. Together, we identified key areas for planting mangroves provided by CCA, to enhance water quality and create vital habitat for marine life. It was a productive discussion, and R4R is excited to work with this group on this much needed project in collaboration with the City of Fort Lauderdale! We also look forward to collaborating on future waterway remediation projects too!
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View the weekly report online
or visit DEP's Algal Bloom Dashboard
NOTICE THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVE
ALGAL BLOOM
DETECTED
Dear Louis Aguirre, Anastasia Brenman, and Channel 10,
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to both of you for the incredible opportunity to be part of your “Don’t Trash Our Treasures” series on such a crucial topic—“Is it Safe to Go in the Water?” The health of our waterways is something we all care deeply about, and it was an honor to contribute to this important conversation.
Louis, your insightful questions and unwavering commitment to raising awareness on this critical issue means so much. I’m also incredibly grateful for the shout-out you gave to Residents for Resilience (R4R). Thanks to your support, we’ve welcomed many new members who are eager to join us in our mission to restore and protect our precious waterways. Their involvement will certainly help us work toward making our waters safe and, hopefully, swimmable again!
I truly look forward to collaborating more in the future. Thank you both for your hard work and dedication!
Best,
Suzee
WHAT CAN WE DO?
!
WHAT CAN R4R DO?
While the ocean and the Everglades receive much-deserved attention,
our waterways—the vital arteries connecting the two—continue to be overlooked.
For our organization, 2025 is all about solutions!
When it comes to our waterways R4R is currently hard at work
on four proposed long term nature-based
waterway remediation projects
under the initiative called the “RESTORE OUR WATERWAYS"Challenge."
These R.O.W. projects aim to reintroduce
millions of oysters, and thousands of mangroves
back into our marine waters,
along with biochar socks to kick-start the filtration to aid in their survival!
Our goal is to restore marine life and make our waterways safe and swimmable once again!
WHAT’S IN YOUR WATER?
I wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank Sasha Jones for the opportunity to be part of her NBC series on such an important topic—
drinking water safety. Her thoughtful questions and dedication to raising awareness are truly appreciated, and I'm honored to have
contributed to the discussion.
I'm also incredibly grateful for the wonderful shout-out she gave to Residents for Resilience (R4R). Her support means a lot to us, and it will certainly help amplify our mission to improve water safety and resilience in our communities.
I look forward to following her impactful work!
Watch segment below.
What an inspiring day at St. Thomas Aquinas High School's
Earth Day Event!
Our R4R team, including Executive Board Members Courtney Colliflower Ortiz and Tricia Halliday, had the privilege of participating in St. Thomas Aquinas High School's Earth Day celebration yesterday — an inspiring event that brought together students, educators, and an incredible lineup of local environmental leaders. We were honored to join representatives from the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Public Works Department, MangroLife’s Jessica Basi , @Truline Seawall System’s Arthur Tiedeman, and many other dedicated advocates, all united in the mission to educate and empower the next generation of environmental stewards.
We were truly blown away by the students’ curiosity, knowledge, and passion. They asked thoughtful, informed questions and even shared innovative ideas of their own. The students — inspired by their excellent teachers (Jessica Basi) and guided by a strong sense of stewardship — showed a deep understanding of the challenges facing our waterways and a strong desire to be part of the solution.
We were especially inspired by the students’ genuine interest in nature-based solutions like biochar filtration, living seawalls, and oyster restoration. Many were amazed to learn that a single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day — a fact that sparked enthusiastic discussions about how these simple, natural solutions can have a big impact. Their concern over the high levels of bacteria in our local waterways was clear, but so was their excitement in hearing that we are actively pursuing
innovative remediation efforts. It’s clear they are eager not just to learn, but to be part of the solution.
Bravo to St. Thomas Aquinas and your outstanding staff for hosting such a meaningful event and for nurturing such thoughtful, engaged students. You’re shaping the environmental leaders of tomorrow, and we’re honored to be part of the journey and look forward to working together on future R4R events!
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Thank You, Victoria Park HOA!
R4R would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Victoria Park HOA for inviting me to speak on the four critical water issues that impact our community, this past Wednesday. It was a pleasure to connect with such an engaged group, and Tricia Halliday and I truly appreciated the interest and enthusiasm shown by everyone present.
We hope the information we shared on flooding issues and the Elevate Florida Fema Program will be helpful to those residents dealing with challenging choices that may have to be made in dealing with these more frequent extreme weather conditions.
A special thank you to their HOA President Melissa Carbonell for the invitation and ongoing support; your concern for your neighborhood, and the well being of the residents that live there is admirable!
We were especially encouraged by the interest shown in transforming the old cement Victoria Park seawall into a living seawall, enhanced with oyster shells, seagrasses, and even mangroves—which can now be professionally maintained. Together, we have the potential to make a significant impact as we work to restore the health of our priceless waterways.
As we move forward, we're excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and the collaborative efforts we can undertake as a community. Every action counts, and we look forward to working together to make our waterways swimmable once again.
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🌊 A Big Thank You to New River Middle School! 🌊
R4R would like to extend a BIG THANK YOU to New River Middle School and Broward County’s Marine Science Magnet Program, along with Magnet Coordinator Elizabeth Fahy, for inviting us to participate in their fantastic 3rd Annual Mission Possible:
Sharks in Action Event.
This incredible event focused on educating the community about the importance of our priceless waterways and promoting their Living Shoreline project, which is actively progressing at the back of their riverfront campus with newly planted mangroves!
Tricia Halliday and I were truly impressed by the educational, marine environmental project-based learning activities showcased by the teachers and their students. Many of these nature based activities were relevant to our R4R future waterway remediation goals!
This impressive community engagement not only educated attendees but also brought together local stakeholders, including Nova Southeastern University marine specialist, SEAFAN, US Army Corps of Engineers, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundations, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Coral Specialists, @Representative Chip LaMarca, MangroLife’s Jessica Basi, and Katherine O’Fallon from Marine Research Hub of South Florida —who previously served as the coordinator of this excellent school for over 10 years. It was so inspiring to see the younger generation actively engaged in critical waterway issues.
We wholeheartedly support their future “Mission Possible” dream of a FLOATING CLASSROOM, which aims to transform a portion of their waterfront campus into an extension of the New River shoreline, complete with mangroves, oysters, and an enhanced marine environmental learning experience!
Thank you once again for the opportunity to be part of such an impactful event!
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VERTICAL OYSTER GARDENS!
Residents for Resilience (R4R) would like to give a big bravo to the Coastal Conservation Association Florida (CCA) for sponsoring the building of vertical oyster gardens (VOGS) at George English Park this past Saturday.
Special thanks to the CCA members from Broward and Orlando, Mike Lambrechts, CPFA Stacy Brown from the Urban Farm Institute, and the latest graduates of the City of Fort Lauderdale City Neighbor Leadership Academy!
Great job, everyone! It was a pleasure working with you to help save our precious waterways.
