ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — In hopes of getting the beaches safe and back open as quickly as possible, the city of St. Pete Beach is asking for volunteers to help in a series of beach cleanups.

The second cleanup of the series is set for Thursday, Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. behind the Bellweather Beach Resort on 52nd Ave. W. There will be a third cleanup on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m at 4700 Gulf Blvd.

What You Need To Know

  • Cleanup happening Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m behind the Bellweather Beach Resort

  • Next cleanup scheduled for Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m at 4700 Gulf Blvd.

  • To date, the city of St. Pete has collected 87,507 cubic yards of debris and placed it at Egan Park

  • More than 22,000 tons have been taken from Egan Park to landfill over the last few days 

Three more are also scheduled for the following Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at different locations along St. Pete Beach.

If you’re interested in volunteering, you’re asked to show up at the designated location and time, and to sign in at the tent. Please wear gloves and close-toed shoes. Carpooling is encouraged as parking is limited, and water will be available to refill water bottles. Any additional questions can be directed to the city at volunteer@stpetebeach.org and last-minute changes will be posted to https://www.stpetebeach.org/.

The city of St. Pete Beach also provided an update on debris removal efforts. To date, more than 87,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected and staged at Egan Park. The area was used as a temporary dump site as trash and debris were pulled from neighborhood streets.

Bob Zahn, who lives across the street from Egan Park, says he’s concerned about the size of the pile and what could be inside.

“Well what about all this mold that’s in here?,” he said. “Isn’t that creating an air problem? Is it safe to be breathing this stuff for weeks now? I don’t know.”

Zahn says contractors began using Egan Park as a dump site shortly before Hurricane Milton. While it grew for a number of days, he says now crews are working to haul away the debris pile.

“They have hauled away so much stuff just in the last 24 hours… they’ve done a heck of a job,” he said.

The city of St. Pete Beach says as of this week, they have hauled more than 22,000 tons of debris from Egan Park to the landfill.

The debris hauler contracted by the city estimates that a “first pass” of all residences will be complete by Saturday, Nov. 16.