TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
Beach Littered With Debris Following Holiday Celebration
Tribune photo by ROBERT BURKE
Ashlee Duckworth, 22 , from Riverview, with others helps pickup fireworks remnants at Ben T. Davis Beach and parking lot during National Clean Beaches Week 2008.
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Published: July 5, 2008
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TAMPA - Kevin Serra offered sunscreen to a couple clutching black garbage bags in the parking lot of Ben T. Davis Beach on the Courtney Campbell Parkway this morning.
They had their work cut out for them. Red paper from exploded fireworks flecked the pavement like confetti. Broken chunks of beer bottles mingled with red sticks from bottle rockets. Empty cardboard boxes of sparklers with names like Golden Flower and Morning Glory were scattered on the ground alongside a pair of plaid boxer shorts and cellophane wrappers from frosted doughnuts and ice cream.
"It's ridiculously bad," said Serra, a city Parks and Recreation Department employee who had arrived at 6 a.m. to clean the beach and shoreline.
The couple with him, Jordan Walker, 60, and his wife, Melissa, were among about 15 volunteers who joined the parks workers this morning to pick up trash left over from July 4 revelers.
This is the second year Tampa has participated in National Clean Beaches Week, an annual national event. Volunteers went either to Ben T. Davis Beach or to Picnic Island Beach between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Organizers said the volume of holiday beachgoers sparks a need for extra cleaning.
"There were probably well over a thousand people here last night. Some clean up after themselves, but a lot didn't," Serra said. "Thank God we have some volunteers out here this morning."
The parks workers provided trash bags, gloves, brooms and metal grabbing sticks for the volunteers to use. Serra also offered tips, such as crouching at the knees to save oneself from back pain.
He couldn't say how much trash the volunteers collected because the dump is closed today. All the trash from the effort will be weighed and tallied Monday, he said.
Even so, the volunteers were amazed by the amount and the oddity. Within about 40 minutes of work, Melissa Walker, 43, had nearly filled her trash bag with fireworks debris, empty cups and a whole box of Publix cupcakes.
"I've come out here other years just to take a run and noticed how horrendous the beach has been after the Fourth," she said.
Her husband, who works for the city's transportation division, was slightly envious his wife found the abandoned cupcakes.
"I've got flip flops and socks, things you wouldn't think people would lose. And a diaper. That was pretty icky," he said.
Some volunteers said they were working off required community-service hours from the University of South Florida. Other USF students said they participated because they belong to the campus' environmental association and have cleaned up along other areas, such as the Hillsborough River.
Students Sueann Feldman and Ashlee Duckworth, both 22, ventured beyond the beach parking lot, going over the guardrail to fetch beer cans, beer bottles, water bottles, used bottle rockets and soggy firecracker crates from the water's edge.
"It's disgusting," said Duckworth, her hands full of wrappers and cardboard tubes.
"I just found a Croc sandal," added Lyndsey Scofield, 21, another USF student working nearby. "I don't understand how people can just leave things and expect them to just go away."
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( BrianH ) on July 5, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Thank you to these people and all people who contribute their time and money to help their communities!
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Posted by ( RobKay ) on July 5, 2008 at 12:37 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Its really a shame decent people get stuck picking up after human trash. Wish the pigs would stay home instead of fowling everone else's world!
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Posted by ( nataS ) on July 5, 2008 at 12:53 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Quit complaining and go clean it up.
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Posted by ( BennyLava ) on July 5, 2008 at 1:24 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Somewhere right now the give a hoot owl is flipping all of you beach litterers off.
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Posted by ( bleuzman ) on July 5, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I say next holiday that they should send out the "coppers" and release the hounds on those sleazy criminals who would litter our beaches and waterways. I've got news for ya also, I ain't picking up no dirty diaper for nobody.....eeeeeeeeyukkkkkk......
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Posted by ( hfurnia ) on July 5, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
NATAS---You are probably one of those people that partied and left, leaving the mess to others. I would hate to see your (or these other peoples) houses! Slobs! Grow-up and take some responsability!!!!
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Posted by ( michaelp54 ) on July 5, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
pigs!
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Posted by ( michaelp54 ) on July 5, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
when people leave, they should pick up whats around them. your not responsible for everything. but if everyone picked some up? it helps.
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Posted by ( cadillacman ) on July 5, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
have you seen the beaches in haiti?...all you have to do is go to ben t davis beach all of those people are pigs ....
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Posted by ( drdneast ) on July 5, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Next time the cops have some time to waste, instead of busting pervs at an adult theatre where they aren't bothering anybody, how about going to the beach and busting some litterbugs who are destroying a public area with their filth. I know its not as fun, but its a lot more productive.
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Posted by ( colonel ) on July 5, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Thank you to the volunteers!
nata, did you clean up? Kinda a wierd thing to say.
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Posted by ( borat ) on July 5, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
All the poor people didn't clean up after themselves? Shocking.
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Posted by ( drdneast ) on July 5, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
In fact that's one headline I would love to see. "Cops bust 24 in litterbug sting." Print thier names, pictures and addresses so we know what rude, inconsiderate pigs are spoiling our natural resources. Can't think of the last time a family went to an adult theatre and said "EEwwww, this is ickey." But if a family went to the beach this morning that is exactly what they would say. Who is doing the greater harm to society.
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Posted by ( Defiant ) on July 5, 2008 at 3:47 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yet, another good reason to stop having these displays. Waste of tax payer dollars.
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Posted by ( goodtimejim ) on July 5, 2008 at 3:51 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( mbail64 ) on July 5, 2008 at 5:19 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Bet that NATA nevers says somethings like that ina blog again. I am sure she may have left a mess.. Good job to those who did teh clean up. and yes the folks doing community service time should spend some time cleaning this mess up.
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Posted by ( jBarbara ) on July 5, 2008 at 5:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Having been brought up with the saying that "cleanliness is next to godliness", I find it hard to believe an adult would leave their litter on our beautiful beaches for someone else to clean up. All this talk about going green, these piglets will never make the grade. I wouldn't want to be invited to their homes for a meal, I'd be afraid of being poisoned.
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Posted by ( wiseguy08 ) on July 5, 2008 at 6:22 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
What a bunch of dirty Pigs!!!! but the people who made that mess are they same people who would get mad if someone did that to there yard.
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Posted by ( petepuked ) on July 5, 2008 at 6:41 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
why is it that all i see is white people picking up trash at a predominatly minority beach?
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Posted by ( llk ) on July 5, 2008 at 8:41 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Eventually, this area will be closed off due to pigs like these. Thanks to all the people that volunteered.
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Posted by ( LS23 ) on July 5, 2008 at 10:50 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Thank you for all of the positive comments. I was one of the cleaner-uppers, and I just have to say it was the messiest couple of miles I had ever seen. And the worst part was that 4 hours later, there was still trash as far as the eye can see... but since we were out of water and it was getting real hot out, we had to stop. We could use more volunteers, all the time, everywhere! If you can spare a couple hours, the Tampa community could always use your help!
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Posted by ( StPetePilot ) on July 6, 2008 at 12:20 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
It got too hot? Ran out of water? You should be more prepared. You remember what state you live in? It's hot here. I work in the sun sweating my butt off so I don't have to be some whiner wanting the government (i.e. my neighbors) pay my way through my life.
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Posted by ( bleuzman ) on July 6, 2008 at 5:36 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
stpetepilot...you must be a real hater.....LS23 said they had to stop because they were out of water and that it was getting to hot and you just take off and rail on them....DID YOU READ THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE MOSTLY VOLUNTEERS? I'm sure you're a sad sort of individual when the best response you can give to the article is to rail on someone about living free off the government. Are you jealous because others are and you can't?
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Posted by ( skeeter ) on July 6, 2008 at 6:46 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
If Ben T. Davis has so much more litter than other area beaches, TBO should do the public service and say so. Let's not tiptoe and be PC here. We all know who goes there.
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Posted by ( LS23 ) on July 6, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Wow, hostile community we've got here. We were volunteering... for no credit, no reward, just because we can't stand to see garbage on the ground.
And I don't know anything about the demographics there, but I hate to look at it as a strictly race thing. We happened to be there, but I don't doubt that there was a mess at more "affluent" beaches as well. We've done cleanups at Honeymoon Island and Anclote Key and found quite a bit.
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Posted by ( drdneast ) on July 6, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
StPetePilot, your the kind of guy that gets a free meal, goes back for seconds and then complains about the quality of the food. Ingrate. Thanks for the job whoever was there. And if it's that bad I wish the TPD would start giving out tickets for littering. It is against the law.
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Posted by ( tarponbillsfan ) on July 7, 2008 at 8:42 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by ( tarponbillsfan ) on July 7, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
StPetePilot,
If you aren't out there volunteering with these people than zip it. It's real easy to be sitting on your duff admonishing people who are trying to keep the beaches clean. When did you ever clean after anyone? probably don't clean after yourself.
A big Thank-You to all the volunteers who spent all the time out there. Please post some organization contact information, and I'll be out there with you next year. I care about leaving nice beaches for my daughter to have in the future.
Local governments - we need to come up with some ways to regulate this behavior. This is unacceptable.
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