In June 2007, Broward County and the U.S. military embarked on a monumental project to remove hundreds of thousands of tires from the Osborne Coral Reef off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. Nearly one million tires had been placed in the reef during the 1970s in a failed effort to establish an artificial reef.

Coastal America, a federal process that brings together multiple agencies to tackle complex environmental restoration and protection projects, brought together a diverse team of experts. Under the direction of the Broward County Environmental Protection Department, divers from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard removed 10,370 tires during the 20 days that weather and ocean conditions allowed them to work.

Once the tires are removed, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is transporting the tires to waste tire processing plant in Georgia where they will be processed into tire-derived fuel and sold to a recycled paper plant.

In 2008, the team will return for a 90-day full-scale removal program will be year one of a three-year plan. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Nova Southeastern University will evaluate the restoration of the injured reef.