DATE: October 29, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Kimberly Maroe, Public Information Manager
 Broward County Board of County Commissioners
PHONE: 954-357-8053
EMAIL: kmaroe@broward.org

BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County Commissioners gave the go ahead to allow funding of $471,000 to be directed toward removal of tires from offshore of Broward County by a commercial marine salvage contractor under contract with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP.) The upcoming project will be the first large scale commercial project undertaken for removal of the tires.

The Osborne Reef Tire Removal Project is expected to begin again in the next couple of months with tire removal provided by Industrial Divers Corporation of Fort Lauderdale.  The FDEP contract provides a total of $1.7 million to remove some 100,000 tires from the bottom of the ocean just off of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.

In the 1970’s, as many as 700,000 tires were placed offshore of Broward County in a 34-acre area with the intention of creating artificial reefs and restoring fisheries stocks. Unfortunately, subsequent to placement, the tires became mobilized during storms and migrated shoreward to the middle reef tract, thereby causing partial burial and damage to the reef. In addition, the tires proved to be poor substrate for colonization by reef organisms.

As a result, removal of these waste tires has become an environmental priority with the project being undertaken through a partnership among Environmental Protection and Growth Management Division, the Port Everglades Department, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the US military.

A pilot project with the military was undertaken in April-May 2008 and full scale projects were conducted in 2008 and 2009 which removed over 70,000 tires total.