Mangrove forests are one of the Florida Keys’ greatest natural defenses. Their tangled roots stabilize shorelines, reduce erosion, provide nursery habitat for fish and marine life, and help protect coastal communities from storm surge and rising seas. But after years of hurricanes, development pressures, and habitat loss, many areas of the Keys are still in need of restoration.
Thanks to funding from our Foundation’s Discover Florida’s Oceans specialty license plate, Coastlove, Inc. is expanding community-driven mangrove restoration efforts throughout the Florida Keys. This $7,815 grant is helping grow thousands of native mangrove seedlings that will one day strengthen fragile coastlines and support marine ecosystems across the region.
Since 2024 Coastlove has partnered with the Plant a Million Corals Foundation and Summerland Farms to operate a mangrove nursery in the Keys. The nursery gives the organization the ability to grow seedlings locally rather than relying on costly shipments from outside south Florida. With support from this grant, Coastlove is increasing nursery capacity from 6,000 to 10,000 seedlings by building new nursery beds and purchasing additional planting supplies.
But this project is about more than growing plants. It is also building a community around restoration.
Volunteers throughout the Keys collect mangrove propagules, or seed pods, from shorelines and coastal waters and bring them to the nursery in Summerland Key. During monthly volunteer days, community members help plant the propagules into trays where they begin developing roots before eventually being transferred into larger pots. After about a year of growth, the seedlings are ready to be planted along vulnerable coastlines during restoration events.
Already, volunteers have planted hundreds of mangroves at restoration sites including Bahia Honda State Park and Camp Sawyer on Big Pine Ke
y. Local families, students, and Girl Scouts have all joined the effort, helping restore habitat while learning firsthand about the importance of mangrove ecosystems.
This project will also provide up to 1,000 free locally-grown mangrove seedlings to qualifying organizations throughout the Keys, expanding restoration efforts even further. By increasing access to restoration resources and engaging the public directly in conservation work, Coastlove is helping build stronger and more resilient coastal ecosystems for the future.
Through the support of the Discover Florida’s Oceans specialty license plate, projects like this are helping restore Florida’s coastlines one mangrove at a time.
Purchase the Discover Florida’s Oceans specialty license plate today and help support marine and coastal conservation projects across Florida.
