Stock Photo by Greg Johnson (Unsplash) An Unexpected Visit In the days leading up to the planting for the Sgt. Elio Diaz Memorial , our team was preparing the land – laying out the walkway, staging trees, and getting everything organized for the families and officers who would soon gather. While we were working, two bald eagles appeared over the memorial site. They circled above us, and then one of them flew down and landed directly on the ground where the memorial walkway wo

A living tribute built by the community he served Today, we are honored to officially launch the fundraiser for the Sgt. Elio Diaz Memorial , a community-built tribute that reflects the life, character, and final moments of service of Sgt. Diaz, who was tragically killed in the line of duty on December 15, 2024. For more than a decade, Sgt. Diaz protected and uplifted the Charlotte County community. In the months since his passing, friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors h

Planting a forest is joyful, meaningful, and… a little messy. At the Sgt. Elio Diaz Memorial Forest Planting Day, dozens of volunteers spent the morning digging, planting, watering, and working side by side to bring the first phase of the memorial to life. With all that hands-on effort, clean hands became a necessity – especially when snack breaks rolled around. Thanks to the Southwest Florida TOI TOI USA team, we were covered. They generously contributed portable hand-washin

One of the biggest challenges of the Miyawaki Forest Planting Method is sourcing the right plants. For the Sgt. Elio Diaz Memorial Forest, we needed more than 22 native Florida species to recreate a healthy, layered habitat. Ideally, we look for 1-gallon or 3-gallon plants – small enough for a child to pick up, easy for families to handle, and perfect for dense forest planting. But as planting day drew closer, a handful of key species were still missing in those smaller sizes

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Mulching a planting bed is like frosting a cake”? No? That’s probably because it’s something we made up – but it still feels true. Mulching is one of the final steps in creating a Miyawaki forest. It helps lock moisture into the soil, jump-starts the process of building fertility, and gives the entire planting bed a clean, finished look. An added bonus: it’s a step that almost anyone can participate in, from young children to those who might n

The Sgt. Elio Diaz Memorial Forest is a “micro forest” – a small footprint with a big ecological impact. Designed to jump-start a mature native Florida habitat, this forest holds 22 different species in an area of less than a tenth of an acre. That’s just 3,500 sq ft, yet when planted using the Miyawaki Method (which is what we used), these forests can grow up to ten times faster than a typical single-species stand. To bring this biodiverse memorial to life, we needed an arra

There is something profoundly intimate about listening to someone’s favorite songs – especially when they are no longer with us. Music has a way of collapsing distance, carrying memory, and inviting us into the emotional world of another person. As we planned the Sgt. Elio Diaz Memorial Forest planting day, we asked the Diaz family a simple but meaningful question: would they like to play Sgt. Diaz’s favorite music as the soundtrack for the event? They said yes, and together

When creating a memorial meant to last forever, we look to nature – specifically, to native forests. In those forests, we see the qualities that define true community: resilience, interdependence, relationships, and support. Those same qualities felt like the perfect way to honor Sgt. Elio Diaz through his own memorial forest. But how do you jump-start a forest that will one day stand on its own? We turned to the Miyawaki Method, developed more than 50 years ago by a Japanese

What is a memorial forest without trees? To honor Sgt. Elio Diaz, we wanted to create something that would live forever – a forest that grows, regenerates, and shelters life for generations to come. The idea was to jump-start a mature, native ecosystem so that Sgt. Diaz’s legacy could take root in a place of beauty, resilience, and renewal. This “micro forest” would be planted by his loved ones, colleagues, and community members – a powerful demonstration of connection, servi

As soon as we received confirmation that the Diaz family wanted to plant a memorial forest at Hope, we immediately began preparing the site. That work included laying out the forest location, hand-weeding (with plenty of help from shovels), and submitting a soil sample to UF’s Soil Lab so we could measure soil health before and after the forest takes root. The next step was clear: the degraded soil needed amendment. So we reached out to the wonderful team at DeSoto Sand And F

When planning the Sgt. Diaz Memorial Forest planting day, we knew  that Cuban coffee had to be part of the morning. At Sgt. Diaz’s celebration of life and in countless tributes from colleagues, one detail came up again and again – how he enthusiastically shared his homemade Cuban coffee with everyone around him. It felt only right to honor that memory with a cafecito toast before planting began. When we approached The Cuban Flavor about providing authentic Cuban coffee for th

We are humbled that Hope Eternal Gardens was featured by ABC7 My Suncoast  in a story about the community gathering to honor the legacy of Charlotte County Sergeant Elio Diaz . Families, friends, and colleagues came together on January 25, 2025, to create a living tribute in his memory. Remembering Sergeant Elio Diaz Sergeant Elio Diaz was a dedicated member of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office who served his community with courage and compassion. Known for his commitment