Community cleans nearly 500 bags of storm debris

Alexandra Lowe-Mains, one of the organizers behind the weekend’s community cleanup of Gulf of Mexico Drive, said the herculean effort was meant not only to clear the physical debris left behind by recent hurricanes but also to get rid of the reminders of the damage wrought by the storms.

“People are just eager to get the island back to what it was prior to the storms,” she said. “Obviously storm recovery takes a lot of time, but trash never stops.”

Lowe-Mains, co-owner of SeaMonkey Apparel, said the approximately 100 citizen volunteers collected just shy of 500 bags in a matter of hours, nearly filling a 40-yard dumpster.

It was an all-hands-on-deck effort, with Longboat Key Public Works taking on the task of picking up garbage bags along the way.

She and Vilia Johnson, who originally approached the town with the idea for the cleanup, were overjoyed with a turnout that exceeded all their expectations.

“This has evolved into not just a storm debris cleanup effort, but a ‘let’s put the island back and beautify it’,” Lowe-Mains added. “There’s never a bad time for a cleanup.”

Volunteers included year-round residents and part-timers aiming to give back to their community. Also joining the town’s effort were Rotary Club of Longboat Key, Suncoast Aqua Ventures, AMI Cabanas, SRQ Strong, Florida Department of Transportation and Keep Manatee Beautiful.

They all met at Longboat Island Chapel at 9 a.m. to gather their safety vests and trash grabbers, then divided into seven work zones, starting at the end of North Shore Road and ending at Overlook Park.

New Public Works Director Charlie Mopps, who did his part driving a mini dumpster to various groups, said three of his staff members volunteered their time to help that day.

“We’re part of the community,” he said. “This is our working family, and the town that we support.”

He shared the department has heard the praises community members have offered clean-up crews that were out right after the trio of storms passed and appreciated their support.

Volunteers Belinda Bauer and Pete Haselhorst said they were especially glad to help reduce the amount of glass shards along the road, considering they routinely walk their dog nearby.

Many attendees said they were simply happy to help Longboat Key continue on its healing journey. Though not all the debris could be cleared in a single afternoon, they worked diligently to delicately detangle trash from mangroves, rake the roadside patches of earth and uncover some interesting items—including an abandoned miniature cart, a fishing pole, clothing hangers, a computer mouse and a photo album.

Students Lina Whyte and Hayden Dolan were the ones who found the album and turned it over to Lowe-Mains in the hopes it could be returned to the owner.

They said the afternoon was a win-win, as it earned them community service hours for school and provided a meaningful way to give back.

Jennifer Hoffman, executive director of Keep Manatee Beautiful, said their members knew it was just as important to support Longboat Key residents as anywhere else in Manatee County, and they were glad to come out in full force to support the recovery.

“There is something called hurricane fatigue, where it brings down everybody’s souls because it takes so long,” she said. “You get a lot of energy in the beginning, and you’re going out and doing things, but then the longer it lasts, the more you feel it. One of the low-hanging fruits is going out and picking up the trash along the roads so that when you’re driving back and forth, it is just the beautiful area that you’re used to. It helps bring people’s spirits back up.”

The group holds regular cleanups on the first Saturdays and Tuesdays of the month, with the next scheduled for March 1 at Taylor Park, 308 Seventh Street West, Palmetto. For the full calendar, visit manateebeautiful.com.