PINELLAS COUNTY, fla — Keep Pinellas Beautiful is hosting an event at Johns Pass to kick off the Great American Cleanup, which will take place nationwide from March 1st to June 30th.
The goal is to get people outdoors, help pick up trash, and beautify neighborhoods. This comes as many beach towns prepare to welcome spring breakers. Environmentalists say they need all the help they can get to keep our beaches clean.
Pat Deplasco explained that littering is a consistent problem, and it's crucial to protect our beaches now, after the damage from the back-to-back hurricanes.
“And the fact that we’ve had volunteers out since the hurricanes cleaning up the mess that the hurricanes caused, they got a good idea of what litter and pollution is,” Deplasco said.
Deplasco explained they will be using the bebot at Friday's event. The bebot is a tiny robot that sifts through sand and picks up trash below the surface.
“We have cigarettes, bottle caps, small pieces of plastic, so we use this bebot as an education tool for people to learn, ok, we have to keep even the little things,” Deplasco said.
She said even the tiniest pieces of trash can be damaging to the beach and wildlife.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
