Mayor of the City of Miami Beach, Dan Gelber said: “Major kudos to internatinal champion swimmer Merle Liivand on setting a world record ahead of Earth Day with her 30 kilometer monofin “mermaid” swim around the City of Miami Beach today!

She deserves every accolade for her feat, which she did to raise awareness about the need to protect our oceans and expand on sustainability efforts, like our Plastic Free MB program.

Thanks to Adrian Gonzalez of David's Cafe Cafecito for organizing this event, and Ricky Arriola and all the partner organizations like Sunny Honey, Surfrider Foundation Miami Chapter, and the Shelborne South Beach.”

Mayor Dan Gelber is holding a proclamation to name April 17th – which also happens to be Merle’s birthday – Merle Liivand Day!