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Keep Pinellas Beautiful to participate in 2025 Great American Cleanup in hopes of keeping beaches pristine

By Bryan Gray
Published  March 6, 2025 6:55pm EST
What's Right with Tampa Bay
FOX 13 News

Clearing litter and debris from Pinellas beaches

In What's Right with Tampa Bay, FOX 13's Mark Wilson highlights volunteers with the organization Keep Pinellas Beautiful, who clear the area's beaches of debris and litter to keep them clean and safe for people to enjoy.

The Brief

    • Volunteers in Pinellas County gather to collect litter from local waterways to keep Florida beaches clean.
    • The organization Keep Pinellas Beautiful is participating in the 2025 Great American Cleanup to clear litter from the Gulf.
    • They say they cleared over 250,000 pounds of litter and have worked with over 22,000 volunteers over the past year.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A local environmental group is making waves in Pinellas County by keeping it clean. 

Volunteers with Keep Pinellas Beautiful gathered to tackle litter, protect local waterways, and ensure that Florida's beaches remain pristine. 

Volunteers with Keep Pinellas Beautiful collect debris from local beaches.

They are taking part in the 2025 Great American Cleanup. 

The backstory:

From the white sandy shores to the vibrant coastal communities, Keep Pinellas Beautiful has been making a difference since 1993.  

"People that live here love it here, and they want to keep it beautiful, and they are willing to come out and do a little bit of hard work to make it and keep it that way," Patricia DePlasco, the Executive Director of Keep Pinellas Beautiful, said. 

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Their mission? To inspire and educate citizens to take action in preserving their local environment. 

A Pinellas County beach.

"This past year, we picked up over 250,000 pounds, and we worked with over 22,000 volunteers doing that," DePlasco stated. 

Dig deeper:

Over a dozen volunteers joined forces with the nonprofit to pick up trash and remove debris left behind by storms. 

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"I think our communities have been through so much and organizations like Keep Pinellas Beautiful that are working year round to try and help our community be a safe, clean place that we can enjoy beautiful spaces like this. We just wanted to help them out," Allyson Schneider, a volunteer from Franklin Templeton Financial services, said. 

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Volunteers with Keep Pinellas Beautiful collect debris from local beaches.

The effort isn’t just about aesthetics but also protecting the local ecosystem. 

"80% of all litter that ends up in our waterways starts on land, and it all goes into our gulfs and our lakes and our streams and our ponds. We don't want that," said DePlasco. "We want to have clean, fresh water." 

Why you should care:

Volunteers say the work is rewarding, knowing they’re making a lasting impact. 

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A volunteer with Keep Pinellas Beautiful collects debris from a local beach.

"It's tough to find the time and so to be able to give back to the ones that have been impacted through all the hurricanes," said Trent Barrett, of Franklin Templeton Financial services. "I'm lucky to be here and happy to be here." 

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"You know, I felt like I had to do something with the hurricanes to help clean up the area and this is such a beautiful part of the world. It's gorgeous, and we need to do everything to keep it as beautiful as it is," Steve Grandfield, a volunteer from Franklin Templeton Financial services, said. 

Local perspective:

For many, today’s cleanup is more than just picking up litter; it’s about preserving memories for future generations. 

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"Taking some time to pick up trash and things like that and get the place nice and clean means my kids and my grandkids get to enjoy the beaches like I used to back in 1970, when I first moved to Indian Rocks Beach," said Oliver Kugler of the Pinellas County Convention and Business Bureau. 

Volunteers with Keep Pinellas Beautiful collect debris from a local beach.

What's next:

This small service will lead to a cleaner, greener tomorrow and a powerful message that even a little effort can go a long way. 

The 2025 Great American Cleanup is taking place from March 1 through June 30.

To get involved, click here. 

The Source: FOX 13's Bryan Gray collected the information in this story.

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