FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — More than 300 volunteers spent Sunday morning cleaning up Fort Myers Beach. Debris from Hurricane Ian washes up on the shore every day, and every piece picked up makes a difference.
"People take pride in their beach," said Ben Duval, events director of Tunaskin.
Tunaskin spearheaded the clean-up, next to several other businesses on Fort Myers Beach, like Mid Island Water Sports. Tractors from those businesses have been picking up large items such as mattresses, refrigerators, telephone poles and other debris. Duval says the small garbage can't be grabbed by a truck.
"There’s still the small stuff that as the tide comes in, as the storms come in, it gets distributed back onto the sand and into the mangroves," he said.
When the clean-up announcement was made, Tunaskin filled up all 300 spots in 48 hours. Volunteers got a commemorative shirt, and though some people didn't make the cutoff, they still came out to help. All the proceeds went to Keep Lee County Beautiful.
"Just about collecting anything you find that looks like it doesn’t belong here," said Dave Lawrance, a volunteer. "I just kinda look for things with nails in it and glass."
Lawrance lost his home in the storm, but said coming to Fort Myers Beach was important to him.
"We’ve had such a great time every time we’re here that it was time to give back," he said.
Tunaskin says they're going to continue to give back by hosting more clean-ups in the future. They have been organizing them since 2016, but say this one is very special.
"We will keep this going until there’s nothing else to clean up," Duval said.
A Lee County spokesperson says crews have cleared more than 133,000 cubic yards of sand from local roads. It'll be used to renourish county beaches.
"We are working alongside state and federal agencies to clean and remove the debris so that our beaches are safe for our valued patrons," the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, this recovery process takes time."
The only beach park opened in Lee County is Gasparilla Island State Park.
To see what parks are open, partially open or closed, click here.
