Youth sailing group cleans up mess Tropical Storm Eta left behind on Davis Islands 

On land and water, more than 70 Tampa-area kids spent the morning picking up the litter left behind by Tropical Storm Eta on Davis Islands.

“We’ve got a lot of items we found, lots of plastic but I’m happy that everyone is out here to give back,” said Bridget Wiese, a sophomore at Plant High School. 

Davis Island Youth Sailing held a “trash-a-thon” Saturday morning to clean up trash that had washed up from Eta on November 12.

“The water actually came all across the street, and dragged just about everything – you know trash, wood chips and all kind of stuff,” said Caroline Young, the director of the Island’s Youth Sailing group. “The biggest thing is, it’s very rare that the water blows all the way through – and that was the hardest part for us.”

Dozens of other students from the Bay Area, eager to fulfill their volunteer hours. Madison Roy decided to lead a clean-up team. 

“With COVID happening, it’s hard to get out and get your community service hours,” Roy said. “But here, you can just drive around, and look at the ground and there’s so much trash everywhere.”

But they know, there’s strength in numbers.

“Everyone wants to make sure that Tampa stays clean, and I’m glad that that’s happening,” said Wiese. “I’m glad that our community is thoughtful of the environment.”

Organizers say volunteers filled at least 120 30-gallon bags of plastic, Styrofoam and other trash. 

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