Save Florida’s Reef from Reckless Dredging

What you need to know

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) has been pushing forward a massive expansion dredging project at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades. In a recent shift (April 2026), the Corps has withdrawn its state permit application for the project, which would have unleashed plumes of sediment pollution that could smother millions of corals and hundreds of acres of reef.

This development is a critical inflection point, not an endpoint, and now more than ever it’s important to remain vigilant to ensure any redesigned project is met with federal oversight and held to the highest scientific and transparency standards.

Miami Waterkeeper and partners spent over a decade working to hold the Corps accountable for the damage caused during the last major dredging project at PortMiami, just 30 miles away, in 2013-2015. The disastrous dredge buried over 278 acres of reef and killed millions of corals — and most of the damage was never repaired. After reviewing the Corps’ environmental strategy, Miami Waterkeeper and partners have determined that the proposed Port Everglades project would be an even bigger disaster, leaving many protections on the table by refusing to apply lessons from PortMiami or implement proven approaches to minimize the damage.

If it were to move forward, Port Everglades would be positioned to cause the largest permitted impact on corals in U.S. history. Its reefs are already hanging on by a thread, and if we don’t learn from past mistakes, this project could be the nail in the coffin for already imperiled corals, conch, and other reef creatures.

Florida's reefs are what makes the region unique. They protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide habitat for fish, support key ecotourism, and inspire and enliven us all. That means we have no excuses: We can’t let the remaining reefs disappear.

Campaign goals

Key facts

• Coral reefs provide Florida with over $665 million in coastal protection value every year, reducing wave energy from storm surges by an average of over 95%.  

• The reef adjacent to Port Everglades is still home to some of the last populations of threatened staghorn corals and breeding grounds of the threatened queen conch.

• Reef restoration is not currently possible at the scale proposed, meaning that millions of corals are likely to die without any chance of being restored.

• Coral reefs are a jewel of biodiversity, a beacon for tourism and fishing industries, and an invaluable resource at the heart of South Florida’s cultural heritage. 

• The Corps is pushing this project so that Port Everglades can accommodate even bigger cargo ships. They don’t need it for current operations. The economic necessity of this $1 billion-plus project is unclear.

What happens next?

The Corps’ environmental assessments are being reviewed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As Miami Waterkeeper and its partners are continuing to meet with political leaders to help shape responsible dredging plans, it is increasingly critical to highlight the widespread support for environmental protection. Want to take your advocacy a step further? Take a quick moment to write an email to Florida senators and other members of Congress and call on them to ensure that proper precautions are taken before the Port Everglades Expansion Dredging project proceeds.