Gasparilla cleanup crews work on land and in waters, over 1,000 pounds of debris removed

TAMPA, Fla. -  Another Gasparilla has come and gone, and with a big celebration comes a big cleanup.

"So we come every year, we call it Gasparilla cleanup crew, and we have amazing volunteers that showed up in 29-degree weather this morning to come and volunteer with us," Jenny Blevins, event coordinator for Adventure Outfitters, said.

The backstory:

This group, put together by local business Adventure Outfitters, has been picking up everything left over from the fun.  From cans, plastics and most importantly, beads.

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"We're really focused on the beads because they're obviously plastic and that doesn't belong in the ocean, but a lot of them have coatings," Blevins said. "Some of them are cheaper beads, they have a lead coating, so obviously we don't want that in our water because a lot [of] water that we get from the Hillsborough River is our drinking water." 

By the numbers:

Adventure Outfitters says 1,800 beads were collected to be exact, along with 1,044 pounds of debris and recycling on the streets and in the bay.

While we were bundled up, the cold weather didn’t stop divers from making sure these waters are clean. 

What they're saying:

"It's just a shame how many people throw things or let things fall into the waters. Really harmful for the ecosystem and the fish life and everything and just really polluting our lovely Tampa Bay," diver Jeremy Conners said.

Whether cleaning up bayside or in the bay, the passion this group has to keep this community clean and beautiful shines through.

"We love our water. We're water people. And we also love diving. So we wanted to combine the two things together to really do something, give back, do something good for the environment, but also to dive and to get other people involved too," Blevins said.

Adventure Outfitters has been doing their Gasparilla cleanup since 2020.  They’re also planning a big cleanup in March.  

What you can do:

For more information on how to volunteer, click here.