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Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful help clean up Tampa parks after back-to-back hurricanes

By FOX 13 News Staff
Published  October 18, 2024 3:53pm EDT
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Post-hurricane cleanup at DeSoto Park

Photojournalist Travis Anthony reports

TAMPA, Fla. - There is still a lot of clean up after back-to-back hurricanes affected the Tampa Bay area, and organizations like Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful spent Friday morning at two parks cleaning up.

"We are helping the city out, making sure they are getting the support they need, so we are moving the debris that they have cut down and moving it to the curb, so the big crane trucks can come in and remove it easier," said Ashley Swart, the education manager for Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful.

Volunteers for the organization set out to DeSoto Park and Reed Park in hopes of making clean up a little easier on the City of Tampa.

READ: Bay Area nonprofit expects increased demand for clothing, hygiene supplies after hurricanes

"The parks are a mess, and this is what we do normally. We are here for beatification and volunteer efforts," explained Swart.

Restoring community parks after multiple hurricanes can be challenging when so many people have been impacted.

"I know a lot of people suffered worse than we did with the hurricane, our house was very lucky, there is a lot that needs to be done to get Tampa back to the way it was and someone has to help out, or it won't get done," said Samantha Schwarz, a volunteer.

As the City of Tampa continues to recover from these storms, groups like Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful will continue their cleanup efforts.

"There was a lot of big trees down, piles of debris everywhere…we made a big impact really quickly, the before and after picture is pretty crazy," exclaimed Swart. 

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