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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?

 

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"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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  Don’t forget to like us on
Facebook, X, Nextdoor and LinkedIn In
as we share even more informative articles on important water issues!

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SOMETIMES THE BEST SOLUTIONS COME FROM THOSE OF US WHO KNOW OUR COMMUNITIES BEST...
THE RESIDENTS

🌊 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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FOR YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY
I
S 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?

 

AND FOR SOME REASON THE CITY TOOK --TARPON RIVER-

 THE HIMMARSHEE AND THE LAS OLAS ISLES  OFF OF THE WATERKEEPER TESTING PROGRAM -

THAT'S WHY YOU WILL SEE INFREQUENT TEST RESULTS IN THOSE AREAS--

EVEN THOUGH 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.

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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!

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Why I care...and why you should too...
Read Below...
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View the weekly report online 
or visit DEP's Algal Bloom Dashboard

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NOTICE THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVE
ALGAL BLOOM
DETECTED

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WHAT CAN WE DO?

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!

Image by Jon Tyson
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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!

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🌊THANK YOU SEVEN ISLES!

 

R4R would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Seven Isles community for inviting me to speak about the four critical water issues impacting our community. It was a pleasure to connect with such an engaged group, and we truly appreciate the interest and enthusiasm shown by everyone present.

 

A special thank you to their HOA President Robyn Lefcourt for the invitation and ongoing support; your efforts in fostering this dialogue are invaluable.

 

Together, we have the potential to make a significant impact on preserving and enhancing our waterways.

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WILL ROADS HAVE TO BE RAISED
IN FORT LAUDERDALE?
CLICK BELOW TO REVIEW DOCUMENTS
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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.

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

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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.
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Ocean
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