May Beach News

Volunteers gathered at South Beach on May 17 for the monthly beach cleanup! This was coordinated by the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee and sponsored by the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors. They were joined by Marco Island Academy Key Club students. Congratulations to the graduating seniors, and a big thank you for their support of the monthly beach cleanups. Many members of the community also joined the cleanup. Over 50 volunteers helped collect 75 pounds of trash! Lots of straws - a mix of plastic and compostable types – were left as trash on the beach. Besides the straws, other items topping the list of trash collected were cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles and plastic bottle caps! 

In an effort to lessen plastic trash on the beach, specifically single use plastic straws, the City of Marco Island prohibits the use of plastic straws by those businesses located directly adjacent to the city beach.” On March 5, 2018, the City Council unanimously voted to “ditch the use of plastic straws.”  Sadly, these straws are commonly found by beach cleanup volunteers around the concrete beach benches, at the bottom of the trash containers, and around beach chairs set up by beach vendors. Visitors order drinks, and they sip and discard the straws right there by their beach chairs.

Single-use plastic bags are also showing up on the beach but cannot be banned as the state of Florida has never banned them. According to plasticfreefl.org, “on the contrary, Florida lawmakers have moved in the opposite direction on multiple occasions. From the first preemption bill in 2008 to the most recent attempts in 2024, Florida’s plastic bag laws have prevented local governments from banning plastic bags and other single-use plastics.” In addition, there are no statewide regulations on single-use plastic bags in retail establishments in Florida.

The Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee (BACR) also took the time to recognize the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors (MIAAOR) and presented them with an award of recognition for their beach cleanup sponsorships going back ten years. John Quinlan, Chair of BACR, presented the group with a Recognition Certificate. 

BACR also Marco Island Yoga, another long standing beach partner and sponsor. The group was getting ready to “smell the sea, and feel the sky,” (from musician Van Morrison). This group is led by instructors Laurie Kasperbauer, Debbie Amicucci, and Megan Mikulsky on Saturday mornings at 8:30 AM.

As usual, the Marco Island Academy Key Club students came out to help. For graduating seniors, this may be their last beach cleanup prior to graduation. Congratulations to all of you and thank you for your support over the years.

There are many other resident supporters who try not to miss the monthly beach cleanups as well. One of them was Patty Barber. “I woke up this morning and felt good, so I came to the beach cleanup,” she said. Barber was happy to catch up with her former colleagues on the BACR. 

Let’s all keep our beaches pristine, clean, and safe for everybody!

The next beach cleanup is June 14 at South from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM.