With the 10th annual Reef and Beach Cleanup this Saturday, Suncoast Aqua Ventures volunteers have collected more than 150,000 pounds of garbage at the event over the past decade.
Some items were lulus, too.
Counterfeit money.
Church pew.
Weather balloon.
Trampoline.
Blow up doll.
“You never know what our volunteers will find,” joked event director Cheryl Huntsinger.
Registration is 8 a.m. at SeaBreeze Park, 55 Horseshoe Loop Road, Terra Ceia. Free T-shirts will be provided (while they last) along with bags, pickers, gloves, etc. Volunteers should bring reusable water bottles, sun protection and water shoes for shoreline areas.
The idea is to clean up trash by watercraft or on foot in Manatee or Sarasota County, then bring it to SeaBreeze Park to be sorted,
weighed and registered for cash awards. Among the categories are most trash, recyclables, shoes, metals, tires and most unique items from land or sea.
Weigh-in begins at 10 a.m. and volunteers can make multiple dropoffs throughout the day.
There will be food trucks, a bounce house and activities for children.
For more details, visit suncoastaquaventures.com , email cheryle1026@gmail.com, or call 941-962-1488.
· Beth Borgen is 39. Again.
· Akila Boyd, too.
· And Tina Fetchko.
· Maribeth Phillips, tireless president and CEO of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee and Food Bank of Manatee, was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation and 2026 Citizen of the Year by the Lakewood Ranch Rotary. The awards honor people committed to helping others and making a significant difference in the community.
· Much respect to Pat Ancil, Lakewood Ranch High’s 75-years-young wrestling coach, recipient of a Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award from the Florida Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
· The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office recognized the career milestones of Deputies Greg Bass (35 years) and Curtis Wiersema (35); Major Yvonne Miller (30), Deputies Michael Bowden (30), Brian Kaufman, (30), Dale Hayes (30) and Lizabeth Smith (30), Victim Advocate Manager Sandra Dickerman (30), and Travel coordinator Rosa Leon (30); Captain Louis Licata (25) and Deputies Thomas Beckerleg (25) and Stanley Hartley (10).
· And Barbara Harvey K-8’s Shawn Griffon is a finalist for 2026–27 Florida School Counselor of the Year.
· When Braden River rallied to win at Fivay High in football recently, I was curious about the origin of the host school’s name. Turns out five wealthy investors, whose surnames began with the letter “A,” established a large Pasco County lumber mill and settlement about 120 years ago. The men were Gordon Abbott, Martin Amorous, Preston Arkwright, Henry Atkinson and Charles Ayer. They named the town, “Five A’s,” but it was phoneticized to “Fivay” on the post office application in 1904 and incorporated as Fivay in 1908. After the mill closed in 1912, Fivay was abandoned and became a ghost town for years to come.
Vin’s People runs Sundays. Email Vin Mannix at vinspeople@gmail.com. Or call 941-962-5944.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 10th annual Reef and Beach Cleanup includes cash prizes for volunteers
