Trash tops list of resident concerns for the Fourth

Veronica Murphy spends a lot of time on Siesta Key Beach, but she isn’t just there for the award-winning views.

She walks the beach early in the morning with her friend, both armed with trash bags to help beautify the shore. Recently, the duo has run into a problem. Their bags couldn’t fit all the trash they found after spring break, and the same issue arose following Memorial Day weekend. She was shocked. 

This Fourth of July, Murphy’s taking a different approach. She’s partnering with the Siesta Key Association to organize groups of volunteers to pass out trash bags and point out trash receptacles to Siesta Key Beach visitors.

Murphy thinks the trash problem would decrease if trash cans were moved onto the beach, instead of near the entrance. She also thinks a litter tax would help, but she concedes neither are likely. Now, she hopes her “skeleton army,” armed with 900 trash bags, can mitigate the amount of litter left on the beach after the holiday.

Though she knows not everybody will use the bags, Murphy would be satisfied with just a few.

“Even if they left it on the beach in the bag, it would be easier and safer to clean up,” she said. “We’re hoping for a miracle, but maybe some people will use the bags.

Trash on the beach following busy holidays has been a long-standing problem for residents. SKA Vice President Catherine Luckner doesn’t want to see the same level of litter after the Fourth of July as she saw after Memorial Day weekend. She hopes Murphy’s efforts, along with aid from SKA volunteers, will encourage people to “pack it in and pack it out.”

“A lot of us do it all the time — we take bags with us on our walks,” Luckner said.

SKA is also partnering with Florida Fisheries and Wildlife to install a trash bag dispenser at Beach Access 7 in an effort to offer a long-term solution to littering.

In addition to trash concerns, Luckner said residents are worried about the possibility of illegal fireworks and traffic issues. The Sheriff's Department will be increasing its presence on the Key during the holiday, including DUI and traffic units, to deal with the influx of visitors. 

As for Murphy, her efforts to decrease trash on the beach won’t end after the Fourth of July. She’ll keeping walking with her friend each morning, and she’s already organized clean-up efforts for the Tuesday after Labor Day.

"This is something I want to fix. It's not just a Fourth of July thing," Murphy said. "I think we really have to tackle the situation."