As a longtime member of Church by the Sea and an early supporter of the Living Seawall, Mark Conroy brings both personal perspective and deep community roots to the project. A veteran of the luxury travel and hospitality industry and a champion for cleaner waterways, he shares what inspired his involvement and what he hopes the initiative will achieve.

Q: What inspired you to support the Living Seawall project?
We’ve been members of Church by the Sea for 36 years. When we first joined, the canal behind the church was full of fish and water birds. Over time, we watched the water quality deteriorate due to sewage spills by the city and illegal dumping by boats docked in the adjacent canals off the Intracoastal Waterway.

The current seawall is almost 70 years old and needs to be replaced. But instead of using traditional flat panels, which are effective but don’t benefit the ecosystem, we learned about the more eco-friendly Living Seawall. These digitally printed panels mimic mangrove roots and help create a habitat for fish, marine plants, and shellfish—all of which help improve water quality.

Q: What does this initiative mean to you personally—or to the community?
When we moved here nearly 40 years ago, there was abundant sea life. You could swim, kayak off the dock, or water ski in designated areas. Today, I know people—friends and their children—who’ve gotten seriously ill just from coming in contact with the water.

If we want to preserve the quality of life in this area, something has to change. This project is a good first step.

Q: What do you hope this project will accomplish in the years ahead?
This system has been proven to work. With support from the church, the community, and the scientific organizations behind the project, we hope this 860-foot installation will begin to improve the quality of the canal and the lake that fill and drain with the tides.

I’d love to see this become the preferred solution for seawall replacement—not just here, but across the region.