The Marine Stadium Basin is a unique public waterfront that belongs to the entire community. It is a place where residents and visitors paddle, row, recreate, watch events, and experience Biscayne Bay.

We are asking the City of Miami to pause the proposed mooring field and meaningfully engage the community before moving forward with plans for approximately 195 permanent mooring anchors in the Marine Stadium Basin.

The proposed number and placement of mooring anchors raise important questions about environmental protection, navigation, recreation, public access, and the long-term future of Virginia Key.

The Basin has changed significantly since earlier mooring-field concepts were developed. The area has undergone efforts to address derelict vessels, and conditions today are different from when previous proposals were considered. Earlier concepts contemplated substantially fewer moorings, including approximately 45 vessels in 2018 and 97 buoys in a 2021 concept.

The community deserves an opportunity to understand why a much larger 195-anchor configuration is now being proposed and whether it is appropriate for this highly active public waterfront.

We respectfully ask the City of Miami to:

• Pause the current permitting process for the proposed 195-anchor mooring field;
• Conduct meaningful public engagement with the Virginia Key Advisory Board, residents, environmental organizations, recreational users, rowing and paddling communities, and other stakeholders before moving forward;
• Reconsider the proposed number and configuration of mooring anchors based on current conditions and demonstrated need;
• Protect seagrass, mangroves, hard-bottom habitat, and other sensitive Biscayne Bay resources from avoidable impacts;
• Evaluate potential conflicts with rowing, paddling, boating, and Marine Stadium events, as well as public access and navigation;
• Consider the cumulative impacts of proposed development throughout Virginia Key rather than evaluating individual projects in isolation; and
• Ensure that any future mooring-field plan is based on current science, transparent analysis, and the long-term public interest.

We recognize that mooring infrastructure can play an important role in addressing derelict vessels and improving vessel management. However, solutions must be appropriately scaled to current conditions and must protect the environmental, recreational, and public value of the Marine Stadium Basin.

Biscayne Bay and Virginia Key belong to all of us. Decisions about permanent infrastructure in this public waterfront should be made transparently, with the community at the table and with the protection of the Bay at the forefront.

Please add your name and ask City of Miami to pause the proposed mooring field, listen to the community, and reconsider the plan before moving forward.