A seawall at Bayfront Park on Longboat Key is getting a makeover with the goal of creating a new home for oysters, crabs, starfish, and other marine life following the installation of living tiles.

The project, led by Miami-based Kind Designs, marks the companys first work on Floridas West coast and the first installation for a government client.

Im seeing the living tiles in the water for the first time. Theyre amazing, Anya Freeman, founder and CEO of KindDesigns said. Hearing that theres already crabs and starfish living on the seawalls is extremely exciting.

In April, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska recently traveled to Miami to see how the living seawalls and tiles are constructed.

The 3D-printed concrete tiles are designed to mimic natural mangrove roots, with textured surf

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