Manatee mangroves filled with hurricane-related debris

Hurricane debris in our local waterways

FOX 13's Kim Kuizon reports on hurricane-related debris found in mangroves throughout Manatee County weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Long after Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck, Western Florida communities still find hurricane-related debris in some odd places.

Like in Bradenton, where the city's mangroves are littered with debris.

Port-a-potty found in mangrove after hurricanes.

Cheryl Huntsinger has an eye for finding items that don’t belong in the mangroves.

"Looks like part of somebody’s roof," Huntsinger said.

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After storms Helene and Milton, items like this are more common than you’d think.

"We had about a 6-7 foot storm surge where I’m standing here. The water would have been up here compared to where the water is now," said Huntsinger.

Mangroves hide items like a couch.

Huntsinger is the President of Suncoast Aqua Ventures, a group that aims to remove anything that doesn’t belong in mangroves.

"A lot of people were sending me pictures of areas that had large pieces of debris," she said.

Refrigerator found in mangrove after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Like on Rattle Snake Key, the group pulled over 2,000 pounds of items last week. They found refrigerators, freezers, port-a-lets, and other household items.

"Up in the tree line is where a majority of the debris is, (and) we were finding a lot of tiki solar lights," said Huntsinger. "We actually found people’s home contents. Kitchen cabinets, water bottles that would have come out of those cabinets."

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Seven environmental groups, including Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Suncoast Waterkeeper, Suncoast Aqua Ventures, Organized Fisherman of Florida, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, and Sarasota Bay Watch, will join together on Saturday, Dec. 14, to clean up Terra Ceia Bay and the Manatee River.

Volunteers are needed to find the hard stuff.

"Things that you wouldn’t imagine are out there are out there, but they’re just all hidden by the mangrove canopy," said Abbey Tyrna, the Executive Director of Suncoast Waterkeeper.

With the use of a drone, Tyrna found areas to clean.

Suncoast Aqua Ventures volunteers help clear hurricane-related debris from mangroves.

"Things are very hard to find, but when I started zooming into the images, I saw trails of Styrofoam—huge pieces of Styrofoam and all kinds of things," said Tyrna. "There were just colorful stuff that you knew didn’t belong in the environment."

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Each item can harm our waterways and the animals who call them home.

"If you live on the water or near the water, and you can do your part to pick up a little bit here and there, it all makes a difference," said Huntsinger. "Everybody that helps out makes a difference in a positive way."

Marine Debris Clean-up for Terra Ceia Bay and the Manatee River will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Clean-ups will occur at Terra Ceia Bay in the Tropic Isles and the Manatee River at Blenker Marina.

To sign up, fill out the Marine Debris Cleanup Registration Form here.

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