Steward of the Keys: Jodie Cerra, Florida Bay Forever’s Environmental Collaborator
Author: Laura Myers, December 2025
Jodie Cerra, executive director of Florida Bay Forever, the only Islamorada-based nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of Florida Bay, is known for her inclusive and expansive collaborative vision.
Florida Bay Forever’s Executive Director Jodie Cerra (in green T-shirt) enjoys educating Keys children through immersive activities such as hands-on environmental art projects. Courtesy: Jodie Cerra
During the last year, Cerra has focused on elevating Florida Bay Forever’s presence through community education and engagement, organizing a series held at Islamorada’s Angler House Marina with environmental speakers, and focusing on water quality.
Florida Bay Forever’s headquarters is currently located at the 1,000-square-foot historically designated Russell Cottage, built in the 1930s and tucked within the lush 8.7-acre Green Turtle Hammock Nature Preserve, the subtropical rock land hammock habitat located at mile marker 82 bayside.
As part of a planned transformation for additional public access, The Village of Islamorada is to remodel Florida Bay Forever’s gift shop into a new Environmental Resource Center for area nonprofits, to open by late spring.
The cottage is on the property at Green Turtle Hammock Nature Preserve, which is maintained and overseen by the Village.
Florida Bay Forever’s Executive Director Jodie Cerra enjoys sunset boating with father Scotty Howard (l) and sons Bamboo (front l) and Orion (front r). Courtesy: Jodie Cerra
Florida Bay Forever’s mission includes “protecting and preserving the health of Florida Bay through community engagement, science-based education, and strong support for Everglades restoration.”
The organization does not endorse political candidates but works to focus on water quality and home-rule policy issues and environmental restoration projects.
“Our goal is more education,” Cerra said.
Funding is generated from grants, dues from about 50 memberships, and the Everglades Foundation, based in the Miami area village of Palmetto Bay, Florida.
Florida Bay Forever was founded by a group of Keys residents in 2016, in the aftermath of an alarming seagrass die-off in Florida Bay.
Florida Bay Forever’s Executive Director Jodie Cerra (r, in green T-shirt) sells Florida Bay Forever merchandise with Cody McDaniel (back l), Florida Bay Forever’s gift shop manager and assistant director, and artist Daphne Sanitz, a Florida Bay Forever board member, at Florida Keys Brewing Co. in Islamorada. Courtesy: Jodie Cerra
The outdoorsy Cerra, who grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, has worked as a camp counselor, outdoor educator, instructor at Key Largo’s Marine Lab, a substitute teacher within Monroe County schools, and at Wesley House Family Services in Key Largo.
Cerra also worked as a campground host at Cedar Breaks National Monument near Cedar City, Utah. In Tallahassee, she facilitated ropes courses at Florida State University, her alma mater where she earned a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in English, with minors in biology and education.
A certified diver, Cerra also has Florida certifications with Project WILD and Aquatic Project WILD, both which are part of Washington, D.C.-based Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies educational programs.
In her role at Florida Bay Forever, Cerra currently is implementing new educational and outdoor programming.
"Jodie is very much a go-getter and energized; she’s always coming to me with ideas,” said Emily Rother, the Village of Islamorada’s cultural and arts coordinator. “She’s very partnership-minded and always seeking opportunities for Florida Bay Forever to work with other organizations.”
Florida Bay Forever’s Executive Director Jodie Serra (purple hat) enjoys in-water immersion with marine creatures at Theater of the Sea in Islamorada with sons Orion and Bamboo. Courtesy: Jodie Cerra
Cerra’s programming includes interactive field trips for school groups, home-schooled students and youth organizations such as Boy Scouts; guided nature and bird walks, hands-on water quality investigations and interactive lessons ranging from Everglades water flow to the Florida Bay and Keys hardwood hammock’s unique biodiversity.
Environmental education includes teacher workshops, youth tutoring and enrichment, family programs, and community events connecting people to the ecosystems of the Keys targeting all ages.
“Jodie’s collaborative mindset, genuine passion for preserving the Florida Bay, and creative approaches to problem solving make her uniquely qualified,” said Erin Allison, executive director of the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, encompassing the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary and Mission Wild Bird Hospital, in Tavernier.
Cerra and husband Ray — a maintenance manager at Islamorada’s Theater of the Sea, diver and a long-time Keys resident — live in Tavernier with sons Bamboo, 12, and Orion, 9.
When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?
My family moved to Florida from Colorado when I was three. My mom always called her daughters “grits” — girls raised in the sun. The Keys felt like our backyard: a place to play, go diving, and explore. My dad, a science teacher, brought our family down to the Keys often. After graduating from Florida State University and completing an internship at SeaWorld, I knew I wanted to combine environmental work with science and education. That led me back to the Keys, where I interned at Marine Lab in Key Largo and quickly became an instructor. Though Ray and I explored other places across the United States, we were always drawn back to the Keys. The water, the weather, and the people made it clear this is where we belong.
What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?
Our way of life is the environment. I’ve loved how everything we do is connected to the land and water. Our lives — fishing, diving, teaching, working, exploring — are sustained by the ocean and the environment around us.
I see this connection every day in everyone I meet: the fishermen who make their living on the water, the families who rely on the Bay for their livelihoods. The rhythm of daily life here is intertwined with the health of the land and waters, and it’s a delicate, beautiful dance — one that many people in other parts of the country have lost. Protecting that balance is what drives me and makes life in the Keys so extraordinary.
What inspired you to become passionate about protecting the Keys’ natural world and how does that passion impact your daily life and work?
My passion for the water and the environment wasn’t sparked by a single moment — it’s always been part of who I am. I could swim before I could walk, and if there was a body of water nearby, especially the ocean, that’s where I was — and where I’ve always felt at home. Whether I’m teaching a program, leading a guided hike, or working on restoration projects, my work is caring for the place and the people I love. I often share a paraphrase of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas’ philosophy with students and visitors: protecting and understanding nature is vital, but just as important is taking the time to be in it, to observe, to listen, and to let it remind us why it’s worth saving. What keeps me passionate are my children and the people around me. It’s important to leave them a world better than the one I was given, and there is a lot of work to be done to make that possible.
How do you personally work to ‘connect and protect’ the Keys’ environment and the island chain’s unique lifestyle?
One of the greatest impacts of my work has been seeing how much this community truly cares about the environment and the lifestyle it supports. From other nonprofits to local residents, I’ve formed connections and collaborations — many with strong, inspiring women — who have shared their time, energy, and mentorship with me. These relationships strengthen Florida Bay and the work we do, and they are at the heart of how we protect this place. In the Keys, the environment sparks artistic expression — from art walks to local works inspired by the water. That artistic community gives our environment a voice louder than any politician. Everything I do is about fostering these connections — among people, between art and science, and the community and the environment — to protect the lifestyle and place we love. In my personal life, I live this every day with my family. We play and explore the Keys, bringing my children, relatives, and friends into the water, on the boat, and into nature.
What do you hope your environmental actions in the Keys will help to accomplish?
I want to see a healthy Florida Bay, which means a thriving ecosystem — not just the waters themselves, but the Everglades, the hardwood hammocks, and all the life they support. It means our economy, our lifestyle, and our community can thrive alongside the environment.
The Everglades Foundation’s trillion-dollar economic study shows just how deeply our natural systems are tied to Florida’s prosperity — protecting and restoring them is essential.
I hope people will learn to enjoy the water for recreation in a way that allows nature to sustain and restore itself without constant intervention. My work is dedicated to helping the community move in that direction — politically, practically, and personally. It’s about people working together, getting their hands dirty, fostering the next generation, and understanding that moving forward means learning from the environment, letting it guide us, and making decisions rooted in love, community, and care for the world we leave for our children.
