Miami Faces a Seaweed Surge as Sargassum Washes Ashore in Record Volumes
Miami-Dade spends about $3 million annually to remove sargassum from 17 miles of beaches as record blooms wash ashore; July alone yielded around 9,000 tons. The surge is linked to the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, nutrient runoff from rivers, and warmer oceans. Cleanup uses heavy equipment and is restricted during sea turtle nesting hours, with about 700 nests this season. Scientists say the blooms are the ‘new normal’ and stress the need to curb land-based nutrient sources, as the belt totals reach tens of millions of tons (33.5m this summer, 38m in 2025).