Rotary Club removes 40 pounds of trash from Gulf of Mexico Drive

By Carter Weinhofer
| 5:00 a.m. October 20, 2023

From left to right: Brad Marner, Carole Erker, Jay Sparr, Liz Sparr, Nancy Rozance and Jim Chirgwin.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

The Rotary Club of Longboat Key continues to help keep Gulf of Mexico Drive clean.

Every quarter, the club walks a total of 3 miles on GMD and picks up trash as a part of the Adopt-A-Highway program.

The most recent cleanup saw the removal of 40 pounds of trash, 10 golf balls and a found dollar bill.

Early in the club’s history, members wanted to find a way to get permanent signs on the state road. Through the Adopt-A-Highway program, as long as the club made regular cleanup efforts a sign would be posted on each side of the road.

The cleanups are always a good time, says club director Nancy Rozance. It’s a time of laughs and camaraderie.

On Oct. 17, the club celebrated their ninth anniversary.

author

Carter Weinhofer

Carter Weinhofer is the Longboat Key news reporter for the Observer. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, he moved to St. Petersburg to attend Eckerd College until graduating in 2023. During his entire undergraduate career, he worked at the student newspaper, The Current, holding positions from science reporter to editor-in-chief.