Local News

Nonprofit credited with removing tons of trash from county beaches

Debris found on the beach during cleanup (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)

COCOA BEACH, Fla. – To celebrate International Coastal Cleanup Day Saturday, Keep Brevard Beautiful is looking for more volunteers to get results picking up trash at popular parks. Friday, Jeff Richardson, KBB’s beach coordinator, met News 6 reporter James Sparvero at Lori Wilson Park, one of the cleanup locations on his list.

“There’s gonna be a huge group out here volunteering just to minimize any type of impact that this trash can have out there,” Richardson pointed to the ocean. “And then, aesthetically, we want our beaches to look better than any other beaches in Florida.”

Richardson quickly found trash himself when driving a KBB UTV vehicle along the beach.

Richardson said the group picks up around 100 straws in a day, and even during the slow season on the beach, record tourism numbers and a population boom in the county have contributed to more trash than ever before.

“Ultimately, it takes a team to keep it clean, and any extra hands helps us out extremely well,” Richardson said.

In addition to Lori Wilson, volunteers are also asked to come out Saturday between 8:30 a.m. to noon to:

  • Fischer Park in Cocoa Beach

  • Ballard Park in Melbourne

  • The Barrier Island Sanctuary in Melbourne Beach

  • Ocean Park in Melbourne Beach

  • The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

  • Hightower Beach Park in Satellite Beach

  • Juan Ponce DeLeon Park in Melbourne Beach

  • Pelican Beach Park in Satellite Beach

You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:

Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.


About the Author

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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