Dream in Green partnered with the City of Miami and Mayor Francis Suarez to bring to the community the Mayor’s Challenge. This special initiative called upon K-12 City of Miami schools to create Public Service Announcements (PSA) about the health of Biscayne Bay. Within the City of Miami, Biscayne Bay is in a health crisis. This dynamic and diverse marine ecosystem is home to many species and serves as a nursery for marine life. It is a place where freshwater from the mainland mixes with salt water from the sea. Unfortunately, the health of the Bay that affects many in the City is being threatened for various reasons.
“All Floridians rely on clean and abundant fresh water along with healthy oceans and coastal environments for work and play. That’s why I called on the K-12 schools in the City of Miami to create a plan of action through the Mayor’s Challenge.” City of Miami Mayor, Francis Suarez.
Winning videos highlighted multiple threats to Biscayne Bay while offering solutions that the City and its residents can make today. Students raised concerns on issues ranging from large fish kills in the Bay, to plastic pollution littering our waterways and beaches, and outdated infrastructure providing fresh drinking water to Miami residents. They came up with solutions that included a call for additional government ordinances as well as community-led actions that involved the disproportionally burdened communities.
Finalists were evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges that included Irela Bague, the Miami-Dade County’s Chief Bay Officer; Alan Dodd, City of Miami Chief Resilience Officer; J.P. Brooker, Director of Florida Conservation at the Ocean Conservancy; and Jeremy Schwarz, Mayor’s Chief of Staff.
A total of 30 videos were submitted for the Mayor’s Challenge. Winners will receive up to $1,000 grants to implement their ideas. Congratulations to all those that submitted videos and to our winners listed below. We invite you to click on each school to view their videos.
1st Place Booker T. Washington Senior High School
2nd Place Downtown Miami Charter School
3rd Place Young Men’s Preparatory Academy
Honorable Mention Young Women’s Preparatory Academy
Special Merit iPrep Academy
