Miami’s Mangrove Hero: 37,000 Lbs of Trash and Counting

On today’s episode of Cafecito y Croquetas we’re sitting down with Miami native, author, and environmental advocate Andrew Otazo – a man who has personally picked up 37,200 pounds of trash from South Florida’s mangroves… and is still going.

Andrew walks us through his wild journey: from West Point and the U.S. State Department, to Harvard, Cuban policy work in D.C., launching his own PR agency, writing The Miami Creation Myth… and then becoming the guy who decided, “If nobody’s going to clean this trash, I will.”

We talk about his legendary Miami Marathon stunt carrying a 35 lb trash bag (and later a 135 lb trash cart), how that trash bag ended up in the HistoryMiami Museum, and why mangroves might be the most underrated heroes protecting our city.

In this episode we get into:
🌊 Why Miami’s mangroves matter for hurricanes, wildlife & our coastline
🗑️ How street litter actually ends up in the bay & mangroves (it’s not what you think)
🐢 Microplastics, manatees, sea turtles & the real impact of our plastic use
😳 The craziest things he’s found in the mangroves… including a bank robber
🏃‍♂️ “Miami’s Trashiest Run” 5K & how to plug into local cleanups and activism
🤝 Simple daily things you can do to help – starting with picking up that one wrapper

This conversation is all about purpose, community, and taking ownership of our home. Whether you love the ocean, care about Miami’s future, or just need a push to start doing your part, this episode will hit home.

👇 Tune in, share with a friend, and if you pick up trash in your neighborhood,
tag Andrew & @staytranquilo so we can keep modeling the change together.

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