by Andrew Otazo | Mar 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
There’s a mantra-like phrase I hear at practically every climate conference, happy hour, and networking event I attend in the Magic City: “they should’ve…” As in, “They should’ve changed the zoning code,” “They should’ve constructed more sand dunes,” “They should’ve...
by Andrew Otazo | Mar 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
Miami faces an immediate existential climate change threat from stronger hurricanes and their associated storm surges. A direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane could cause catastrophic damage to South Florida literally any year now. We’re thankfully past hurricane...
by Andrew Otazo | Mar 2, 2026 | Activism
I’ve spent the last seven years removing 27,690 pounds of trash from South Florida’s mangrove swamps. In 2019, I walked (more like stumbled in a pain-induced fugue state) the Miami Marathon carrying 35 pounds of mangrove trash. That pack now sits in the HistoryMiami...
by Andrew Otazo | Mar 2, 2026 | Activism
I made it, everyone! The Dirty Thirty. The Double Quinceañera. 30,000 pounds of trash. It’s been a hell of a ride. You can’t spend 163 days in the mangroves collecting and lugging 15 tons of trash on your back without accumulating some scars along the way. Stepping on...
by Andrew Otazo | Mar 2, 2026 | Activism
Once a week, I spent the day pulling hundreds of pounds of other people’s trash from Virginia Key’s North Point Park. It took 12 months to clear all 1.5 miles of mangrove swamps and sand dunes ringing this public park a ten-minute drive from Downtown Miami’s...
