October 15, 2026
5:30 PM
8TH ANNUAL
THE LAST STAGHORN
Thank You For Attending State of the Water
Our 8th Annual State of the Water gathered local leaders to collectively imagine – what if this were the last staghorn coral left in Florida? Would our values or our decision-making be different? Would we act to save it?
SPEAKERS
Rachel Silverstein, Ph.D. – keynote speaker
CEO & Miami Waterkeeper
MARVIN WILMOTH – emcee
Board of Directors, Treasurer
Ross Cunning, Ph.D – porter prize winner
Research Biologist, Shedd Aquarium
Andrew Baker, Ph.D – panelist
Director of the Coral Reef Futures Lab
University of Miami
Phanor Montoya-Maya, Ph.D – panelist
Reef Restoration Program Manager
Coral Restoration Foundation
Jason Spingarn-Koff – panelist
Director, The Coral Rescuers
WATCH THE 2026 STATE OF THE WATER VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS HERE
Our 8th Annual State of the Water held at Rusty Pelican celebrated conservation victories, including the Port Everglades dredging advocacy milestone. Themed “Imagine If This Was the Last Staghorn,” the event highlighted coral reef protection and honored Dr. Ross Cunning, Research Biologist, as the 2026 Porter Prize Awardee.
THIS YEAR HAS BEEN PACKED WITH WATER WINS AND TANGIBLE IMPACT
On October 15, we premiered our 2026 brand video, showcasing what we’ve been able to accomplish with your support. Watch it below.
with gratitude TO OUR 2026 STATE OF THE WATER SPONSORS
State of the Water is made possible by the generous support of the following donors and in-kind partners
Seahorse Partner
Coral Partners
Starfish Partners
In-Kind Supporters
Special thanks to Rescue a Reef for generously providing the coral imagery featured throughout this event and to artist Lauren Shapiro whose ceramic art integrates water and coral themes, for creating the custom Porter Prize trophy.
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS PARTNERSHIP CREW
PartnerSHIP list as of 8/18/2026
Honorary Keeper ($100,000+)
Anonymous
Bruce and Diana Rauner
Seahorse ($50,000+)
Manatee ($25,000+)
Bethany and Robert B. Millard
The Barry S. Sternlicht Foundation
Ellen and John Levinson
The Frankel Family
The Mailman Foundation
The Newman Family
The SeamLev Foundation
Dolphin ($15,000+)
The Charlsemead
Foundation
Laurie and Andy Okun
Reiter and Soman Family
Jenny and Nick Semaca
Aviva and Aaron Stauber
Paula Tolliver
Robin and H Jordan Weitz
Sea Turtle ($10,000+)
The Alvarez Family Fund
Jaleh and Jeffrey Bast
Roger and Leslie Baumann
Bisnow Family
Cristina and Mark Crofton
Dedrick Family Foundation
Fritz-Veloso Family
The Gardner Family Foundation
Jen Kaplan
Philip Kushlan
Leomi Foundation
Leslie Miller
Amanda Perwin and Seth Cassel
Judd Rosen
Schwedel Family
Brandon and Kara Yarckin
Coral ($5,000+)
Susan and Rob Askew
Julia and Till Bechtolsheimer
The Diamond Family
Liz Greig and Jason Extein
Marcello Fernandes & Family in memory of Kellie Henley
Charles Hammel
Valerie Hernandez and
Gildas Durand
The Benjamin and Gloria Joannou, Jr. Family Conservation Fund
Cindy Lerner
Ashley Litwin and Anton Diego
Mark Mason Family
Lisa and Victor Mendelson
Ernesto Morales
Michelle Petock and Henry Werner
The Risius Family Philanthropic Trust
The Toni Schrager Team
Estelle Silverstein
Harris and Amy
Siskind
Tracy Slavens and Daniel Schwartz
The Stokes Family
The Szajman Family
Amy Taylor
Steven and Rochelle Weinstein
Starfish ($2,500+)
