March Beach News

It was a thick fog that greeted beach cleanup volunteers at South Beach as they arrived for the scheduled March 14 beach cleanup. A big thank you to March’s volunteer organizations, Marco Sportfishing Club and America’s Boating Club, and the families who brought along visiting grandchildren to help and experience a Marco-style beach cleanup. Altogether, they collected over 110 pounds of trash.

The top-most common items found during the March beach cleanup were primarily plastic, such as:

• Plastic bottles.
• Food wrappers – items like chip bags, candy wrappers.
• Stirring sticks and plastic straws – small and easily concealed by the sand.
• Plastic Bags – a big contributor to beach litter and often found by the dunes area.

Volunteers are still finding a good amount of cigarette butts posing serious environmental hazards to wildlife. The most frequent questions asked by volunteers: Why are we seeing so many cigarette butts on the beach? Is smoking banned in Marco Island?

Smoking is not currently banned on Marco Island, nor is it banned on Collier County Beaches. There is a Florida State Law on smoking, which is called the Florida Clean Air Act, but this law does not create a statewide ban on smoking at beaches; instead, it gives the individual counties and cities the power to further restrict smoking at public beaches and parks that they own.

In November 2022, the City of Naples voted to ban smoking cigarettes and vaping on city-owned beaches and parks. This is part of House Bill 105, giving local municipalities the ability to restrict smoking, except for unfiltered cigars. They banned it for both health and environmental reasons.

Other beach restrictions include no glass containers: “Possession of glass containers is prohibited and it shall be unlawful for any person while on the beach or beach access areas to possess or utilize any glass bottle or container,” and no littering: “It shall be unlawful for any person to discard or otherwise dispose of or abandon any trash, garbage, bottles, containers, cans, dead fish, or part thereof, charcoal briquettes or ashes or any other litter, except in container designated for the purpose or to dispose of any household garbage on the beach.”

To help beachgoers dispose of their trash, the County has a bank of 13 heavy-duty trash containers on South Beach. Eight green top containers are designated for proper disposal of trash items; five yellow top containers are for recyclable materials such as plastic, aluminum, paper, and glass. At the Winterberry Boardwalk beach side, the City of Marco Island has provided 10 heavy-duty green top containers but no yellow top containers on the beach for recyclable materials.

Dogs are not allowed on Marco beaches: “It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having under their control any animal to permit such animal upon the beach, except service dogs accompanying persons with special needs shall be allowed on the beach at all times.”

Wheeled vehicles are also regulated. “The use of wheeled vehicles other than emergency safety vehicles, turtle nest monitoring ATVs, and similar wheeled vehicles used for vendor operation, baby stroller, or equipment for mobility impaired persons, is prohibited except by a beach permit.” Bicycles are not allowed on the beach.

Open fires are also prohibited on Marco Beaches. “It shall be unlawful for any person to have open fires, barbecue grills, including portable grills, or other incendiary devices on the beach. It is unlawful for any person to dispose of any coals, briquettes, embers, or other heated objects except in city-designated receptacles in designated areas.”

The April Beach Cleanup will be held on April 11, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM at South Beach with the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce and Sunrizon Realty as the volunteer organizations.

Bags, gloves, buckets, and grabbers for cleanup volunteers are provided. Bring the kids and teach them the importance of stewardship and the negative impact of trash on our beaches.