Surfrider Florida’s 2025 in Review: Perseverance, Partnership, and Protecting What We Love

As 2025 comes to a close, we are celebrating a year that brought victories, challenges, and new opportunities. Across the state, our Surfrider network was busy developing dynamic solutions, advocating for key policies, and leading efforts for thriving communities and coasts. We celebrate 7 critical state and local victories, over 100 Chapter events and engagement opportunities, and 365 days of protecting and enjoying the ocean, waves, and beaches. Check out the 2025 highlights across all of our Surfrider priorities below! 

As we reflect on the year, we are grateful for the remarkable perseverance of our network, the value of committed partners in this work, and the joy of protecting what we love. Thank you!

- Evan Orellana, Florida & Puerto Rico Regional Manager and Katie Bauman, Florida Policy Manager

Bolstering Resilient Coasts

With more than 8,000 miles of coastline, 800 miles of sandy beaches, and 12,000 miles of waterways winding through the state, Florida is at the forefront of challenges from a changing climate. Protecting our undeveloped lands, advancing nature-based resilience solutions and restoring natural systems, and ensuring smart growth and common-sense development are paramount. We have our work cut out for us but the Florida Surfrider network is up to the challenge!

Campaigns & Victories

• Secured permanent protections for Florida State Parks to safeguard them from development and ensure transparency and accountability.
• Stopped the Guana Land Swap that would have put wild, coastal lands in Northeast Florida in threat of development.
• Surfrider Palm Beach County defended smart growth height restrictions in Lake Worth Beach.
• Continued to advocate for state laws that support and fund nature-based resilience solutions.

Network Highlights

• Chapters led in Climate Action Program activities engaging over 100 volunteers, restoring hundreds of meters of coastline, and planting thousands of native plants.
• Surfrider Miami’s Community Climate Action - Dune Restoration Event during Florida Climate Week 2025.
• Dedication of Surfrider Space Coast’s Ocean Friendly Gardens providing buffers and natural flood management along the Indian River Lagoon.

Reducing Plastic Pollution

Each year, an estimated 7,000 tons of wasteful plastic pollution enters the ocean in Florida, posing a major threat to our waterways and marine environments, public health, and tourism-driven economy. Clean water and healthy coasts are tremendous economic assets in Florida – our waterways and beaches draw millions of visitors to the state every year and support over a million jobs. Reducing plastic pollution and marine debris helps protect these assets for Floridians today and for future generations.

Campaigns & Victories

• Defeated state legislation that would have vastly expanded single-use plastics distribution, use, and pollution.
• Surfrider Suncoast defended St. Pete’s plastic ordinance reducing single-use plastics and pollution.
• Surfrider Miami supported Miami Beach’s ordinance to celebrate the ocean friendly way by restricting plastic decor at beaches, parks, and marinas.
• Surfrider Florida Keys led the Skip the Stuff Summer Pledge, engaging over 40 Keys restaurants to reduce single-use plastics.

Network Highlights

• Chapters led over 30 beach and coastal clean-ups across the state, engaging more than 430 volunteers, and removing more than 4,000 pounds of trash from our beaches, coasts, and waterways.
• Chapters continued to work with 29 Florida businesses to reduce single-use plastics as part of Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Restaurant and Hotels Programs.
• Surfrider Palm Beach County’s survey and report on microplastics on local beaches.
• Surfrider Broward’s Dawn to Dusk Beach Clean-A-Thon for Earth Day.
• Surfrider Treasure Coast’s Beach Clean Up for International Coastal Clean Up Day.
• Surfrider Orlando’s partnership with Keep Orlando Beautiful to reduce pollution in Orlando.

Restoring Clean Water

We all deserve to know when it is safe to swim at our beaches! And yet, sewage spills, stormwater runoff, and bacterial pollution threaten the health of beachgoers, coastal ecosystems, and economies in Florida. Consistent water quality monitoring and public notification are needed to protect public health and inform solutions. Through chapters’ Blue Water Task Force Programs, public education efforts, and state and federal advocacy, we are fighting to keep our beaches and waters safe and healthy across Florida.

Campaigns & Victories

• Recruited Florida Congressional leaders, co-led by Congressman Neal Dunn, to support robust federal funding for Florida’s beach water quality and public notification program.
• Surfrider Space Coast monitored and commented on industry activities that will impact the invaluable Indian River Lagoon watershed.
• Continued to advocate for state laws that strengthen and improve statewide beach water quality monitoring and public notification.

Network Highlights

• 5 Chapters operated volunteer-led Blue Water Task Force Programs, conducting nearly 1,500 water quality tests from more than 30 ocean and coastal sites statewide and publishing results online for the public.
• Surfrider Miami’s partnership with the City of Miami Beach to open a new Blue Water Task Force lab.
• Dedication of Surfrider Space Coast’s Ocean Friendly Gardens restoring natural water filtration along the Indian River Lagoon.
• Surfrider Broward’s new Ocean Friendly Garden at Flamingo Gardens’ Everglades Outdoor Classroom.

Protecting Beach Access

Public enjoyment and recreation on Florida’s sandy beaches is a long-held part of Florida culture. and must not be diminished. As beachgoers and ocean recreationists, responsible public access on our remarkable beaches is vitally important to Surfrider members. We work to protect public beach access for all on our Florida beaches.

Campaigns & Victories

• Supported state law to restore authority to local governments to protect the public’s recreational customary use rights on Florida beaches. Surfrider Emerald Coast members were a key part of advocacy and public participation in passing this law.

Championing Ocean Protection

The ocean is central to our Florida identity, economy, and coastal ecosystems, yet these waters face growing threats from pollution, habitat loss, and offshore industrial activities. Strong, science-based protections and responsible ocean management are essential to safeguarding these shared resources. Through grassroots advocacy and policy engagement, Surfrider Florida champions ocean protection to ensure healthy oceans for generations to come.

Campaigns & Victories

• Federal adoption of updated and improved management regulations for federal waters in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Network Highlights

• Surfrider Keys kicked off Florida’s Sign the Surfboard Tour, recognizing business opposition to offshore drilling that threatens our livelihoods, communities, and coasts. The board will be traveling across the state in 2026 before delivery to federal leaders in D.C.
• Statewide chapter engagement in public comment and coalition building in opposition to offshore oil exploration and drilling that puts Florida at risk – and the fight will continue in 2026!

Celebrating What We Love!

Surfrider Florida’s 12 chapters and 11 clubs know that it is important to work hard to protect what we love – and then to make the time to properly celebrate those places and efforts! From tireless participation in Surfrider advocacy efforts to celebrations and events across the peninsula, our Florida network gets it done and has a good time doing it.

Network Highlights

• Surfrider’s 2025 Florida Healthy Beaches Day at the Florida Capitol with over 30 advocates from across the state attending and meeting with over 40 state legislators and discuss priorities for our oceans, coasts, and communities. 
• Surfrider Florida led 3 delegations of state advocates to discuss coastal issues with federal legislators during Surfrider’s largest ever Coastal Recreation Federal Hill Day in May 2025.
• Events and celebrations abounded coast to coast:
  • Surfrider Volusia Flagler at the Intertia’s Hometown Hype in New Smyrna Beach.
  • Surfrider Broward’s Celebrate Old Florida party at Tiki Tiki (also an OFR!).
  • Surfrider Space Coast’s Sun, Sand, and Surf event at Cocoa Beach.
  • Surfrider Orlando repping Surfrider and our Ocean Friendly Programs at Surf Expo.
  • Surfrider UF Club at the 2025 Fin Fest in Jacksonville, Florida.
  • Surfrider Miami’s One Ocean Film Tour.
  • Surfrider First Coast at the 2025 Super Girl Surf Pro & Festival.
• Surfrider Paradise Coast, our newest Florida chapter, hit the ground running with meetings, cleanups, and participation in Florida Healthy Beaches Day & Federal Coastal Recreation Day.
• Welcomed an awesome new club, Surfrider Nova Southeastern University, to the Florida network!

THANK YOU!

We are incredibly grateful for the Florida chapters, clubs, volunteers, and members that make these victories and our work across the state possible. As 2025 comes to a close, we celebrate these wins and important moments. And, we recharge and reset to bring our Surfrider energy into 2026!

Wishing everyone holidays filled with good cheer, good times, and good waves!