Join us on Valentine's Day Weekend at the ❤️Miami Beach Cupid Splash❤️ Register Today at cupidsplash.org
Last
year more than 100 participants raised nearly $50,000 at the ❤️Miami
Beach Cupid Splash❤️ to help local organizations restore, protect and
share Biscayne Bay and our beaches. This year, with your help, we hope
to crush that goal! This year, we hope you will join WPLG Anchor,
Reporter and Environmental activist Louis Aguirre and Miami's
Eco-Mermaid Merle Liivand as they lead the charge into the sea on
Valentine's Day in South Beach.
It is free and easy to.register, start a
team and raise some funds for a great cause at https://cupidsplash.org. You can find out more on our blog at https://cupidsplash.blogspot.com/
So register today and take the plunge with us on Sunday, February 15th
at 10:00 at Collins Park Beach in Miami Beach. You may be chilly on the
beach for a few minutes, but the warm feeling you will get from
supporting the Bay, our beaches and your community will last a very long
time!
Happy Holidays from Louis, Merle and your friends at the ❤️Miami
Beach Cupid Splash❤️ We'll see you on the beach on February 15th!
Join us on Valentine's Day Weekend at the ❤️Miami Beach Cupid Splash❤️ Register Today at cupidsplash.org
We wish all our friends, followers and fans a great holiday season and a
Happy New Year! We'd also like to invite you to join us at the ❤️Miami
Beach Cupid Splash❤️ on Valentine's Day weekend as we lead the charge
into the sea! It's free and easy to register at https://cupidsplash.org . Last
year more than 100 participants raised nearly $50,000 at the ❤️Miami
Beach Cupid Splash❤️ to help local organizations restore, protect and
share Biscayne Bay and our beaches. This year, with your help, we hope
to crush that goal! This year, we hope you will join WPLG Anchor,
Reporter and Environmental activist Louis Aguirre and Miami's
Eco-Mermaid Merle Liivand as they lead the charge into the sea on
Valentine's Day in South Beach.
It is free and easy to.register, start a
team and raise some funds for a great cause at https://cupidsplash.org. You can find out more on our blog at https://cupidsplash.blogspot.com/
So register today and take the plunge with us on Sunday, February 15th
at 10:00 at Collins Park Beach in Miami Beach. You may be chilly on the
beach for a few minutes, but the warm feeling you will get from
supporting the Bay, our beaches and your community will last a very long
time!
Happy Holidays from Louis, Merle and your friends at the ❤️Miami
Beach Cupid Splash❤️ We'll see you on the beach on February 15th!
Miami Beach Cupid Splash raises $42K for Biscayne Bay Recovery, awards grants to four local nonprofits
MIAMI-DADE ( July 08, 2025 )
On Sunday, February 16th, hundreds of enthusiastic participants gathered at Collins Park Beach to take part in the 1st
annual Miami Beach Cupid Splash - a Valentine’s Day weekend “polar
plunge” with a tropical twist. As water temperatures reached their
seasonal coldest, the crowd dashed into the Atlantic in a fun and
spirited effort to raise funds to restore and protect Biscayne Bay.
Thanks to the participants’ courage and community spirit, the event
raised $42,007.26 for the Biscayne Bay Recovery Fund at The Miami
Foundation. These funds are now being distributed to four outstanding local organizations whose work supports a healthier, more
resilient Biscayne Bay.
The beneficiaries of the 2025 Cupid Splash include:
VolunteerCleanUp.org – Grassroots cleanups – What started as a
simple solution to connect volunteers with organizers leading cleanups
quickly turned into a County-wide movement. As of January 2023, our
platform has helped facilitate over 3,000 cleanups, with 30,000
volunteers removing over 600,000 pounds of trash and debris from
Miami-Dade County beaches and shorelines.
Clean Miami Beach – Grassroots clean ups – Since 2019, Clean Miami
Beach has committed to preserving the environment of Miami Beach and its
surrounding ecosystems. With over 20,000 volunteers, they have
facilitated over 470 cleans ups and collected over 120,000 pounds of
trash from Miami Beach beaches.
Blue Scholars Initiative – Education – Blue Scholars Initiative is
dedicated to fostering ocean stewardship among you through hands-on
marine science education. Their programs engage students in marine
biology, ecology, and watershed concepts, providing immersive
experiences both on the water and in the classroom.
Ripples of Impact – Drowning initiative- Ripples of Impact is
dedicated to building community resilience through education,
environmental stewardship, and youth empowerment. Their Swim
Scholarships and Tuition Assistance program offers free and reduced-cost
swim lessons to children in underserved communities. Ripples of Impact
aims to promote water safety and build life-saving skills among youth.
“The Cupid Splash is a powerful reminder of the heart and dedication
our residents have for protecting and restoring Biscayne Bay,” said
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “I’m incredibly proud of
our community for coming together to raise over $40,000 in support of
the organizations working every day to protect the blue heart of
Miami-Dade. When we come together, we don’t just make a splash — we make
waves of lasting change.”
This fundraiser was made possible by one Miami Beach resident, Bruce
Berman. Berman, a Boston native, previously hosted the annual “Save the
Harbor” event, where the winter water temperature is 38 degrees. After
years of raising money to support the restoration of Boston’s harbor,
Berman produced a similar event to support Biscayne Bay.
"Here in Miami,
just like in Boston, clean water and a healthy marine environment are
core family values." said Berman. "It was great to work with so many
people who care about the Bay, the beach and our community. We are
already planning for next year's Miami Beach Cupid Splash on Sunday,
February 15 at Collins Park Beach. Sure, we will be chilly for a few
minutes but the warm feeling we will get from giving back to our
community will last a long time."
“There’s purpose in bringing together people for a local cause. As
Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, President and CEO of The Miami Foundation
mentioned, “This is exactly the kind of civic leadership we love to see
from Miamians - identifying issues that matter like protecting Biscayne
Bay, and mobilizing others to join in. Cupid Splash was a blast, and it
brought serious resources to organizations that protect our Bay.”
On
Saturday, September 20, our friends (and philanthropic partners) at
VolunteerCleanup.org are hosting 65 cleanups in Miami-Dade County as
part of International Coastal Cleanup Day. They are a terrific group
doing great work, and have earned our support.
Here are two ways you can help.
1) PLEDGE TO TURN TRASH INTO CASH: This year they are running a Trashathon. Pledge a penny (or more) for every pound of trash we remove, and
support the hard work, sweat, and real results that directly benefit our
community all year long.
PLEDGE TO SUPPORT VOLUNTEERCLEANUP.ORG OR YOUR FAVORITE NON-PROFIT
* If you select 'OVERALL PROGRAM VOLUNTEERCLEANUP'
your pledge will be based on the TOTAL amount of trash over all 65+
locations. We estimate 25,000 pounds, so calculate accordingly ($.01 per
pound = $250). We recommend you put a 'maximum amount' on your
per-pound pledge to avoid surprises, or you can make a flat donation
amount.
REGISTRATION
IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND any of the 65 cleanups all over the county. Earn
your Community Service Hours and karma points. There is space left at
many sites, but we expect to be sold out again. Find a site and register
today, and then invite your friends and family to join you.
LEARN MORE - Louis Aguirre did a great pre-ICC segment on his weekly 'Don't Trash our Treasure' segment last night. Watch here.
All the site captains will be submitting footage from their cleanup for
his post-ICC recap segment on Sept 24th, so give them good content and
smile for the camera. (Programming note - his weekly DTOT segment has
moved to Wednesdays at 10pm on Local10 News).
Seventy-five ❤️Cupid Splashers❤️ from 22 teams braved high winds and
surf to leap into the 77° water at Collins Park Beach on Sunday,
February 16, raising over $40,000 from 263 donors for the Biscayne Bay
Recovery Fund at the 2025 ❤️Miami Beach Cupid Splash❤️
It
was great to see Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Chief David Whitaker, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce President Eric Knowles, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce President Brittney Bassant, Dave Doebler, Co-Founder of
volunteeercleanup.org, Ch. 10 Anchor, environmental advocate Louis
Aguirre, Miami Beach Eco Mermaid and Aquapreneur Merle Liivand, teams from Clean Miami Beach and Miami Surfrider and so
many other advocates, activists and community leaders splash with us on Sunday.
Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez and Mayor Stephen Meiner and his wife Shanyn joined us on the beach as well, to show their support for the splashers.
In his remarks, Mayor Meiner told the crowd how happy he was to see so many people from across the city and the region on the beach working together for a common cause. "When people join with elected officials and civic, cultural, environmental and business leaders and organizations it is very powerful. When we all work together, we can really get things done."
Mayor Meiner also took a moment to wish Collins Park Neighborhood Association President Ray Breslin a happy birthday (month!), and an award for his years of service to the City of Miami Beach.
But Ray wasn't the only person to get an award at the event.
WPLG Local 10's News Anchor and Environmental Advocate Louis Aguirre received the 2025 H20 Hero Award, for his commitment to the restoration and protection of the Bay.
He also received a special superhero statue from Miami's Mermaid Merle Liivand, for all he has done for the ocean and the planet.
A
special shout out to Cecilla Gonzalez-Jimenez and her team Coastal
Conservators dressed as the Love Bugs. They shared first prize with Debi
Quade, who was a big hit as a friendly shark!
Congratulations to this years biggest fundraiser Mathew Cicero of South Florida Condominium Management, who's team Good Karma Too raised $6,460 dollars to win a pair of round trip tickets from Miami to any destination in the continental US served by American Airlines.
Congratulations to Team GMCVB as well, who raised $4,370 dollars from 38 contributors, to win a charter fishing trip for 12 people on Reward Fishing Fleet for the most contributors.
Thanks to the Host Committee and all of our splashers, donors, volunteers and sponsors for their help and support.
Put Sunday, February 15th 2026 on your calendar, and show your love for the Bay and the Beach!
Let's make the Miami Beach Cupid Splash a new tradition here in 305.
