Inspired by Florida Realtors®’ month-long, state-wide Clean-up Florida Waters initiative, the NEFAR Community Affairs Task Force is planning one of the biggest waterway clean-up events within Northeast Florida on Saturday, July 23.
The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at nine individual clean-up site locations spanning the distance from St. Augustine to the Northside of Jacksonville. It will also include two boat convoys with a mission to clean up hard-to-reach portions of the St. Johns River underneath the Dames Point Bridge.
Each clean-up and boat convoy site will be marked by a NEFAR flag. Snacks and water, rubber gloves and grabbers will be available to all participants, and each will receive a special t-shirt commemorating the event.
Clean-up Sites
The Clean-up Sites will be organized by members of NEFAR’s Area Councils, and a friendly competition be held between the councils to see which group can recruit the most volunteers. Included among the locations will be:
- Wayne B. Stevens Boat Ramp (Hosted by NEFAR)
4555 Ortega Farms Blvd., Jacksonville, 32210
- Bert Maxwell Boat Ramp (Hosted by NEFAR’s Northside Council)
500 Maxwell Road, Jacksonville, 32218
- Sidney J. Gefen Riverwalk Park (Hosted by NEFAR’s Historic Area Council and YPN)
505 Alfred DuPont Place, Jacksonville, 32202
- Main Street Boat Ramp (Hosted by NEFAR’s Southwest Council)
3788 Main Street, Middleburg, 32068
- Old Ferry Boat Ramp (Hosted by NEFAR’s Southwest Council)
2231 Old Ferry Road, Middleburg, 32068
- Jacksonville Beach SeaWalk Pavilion (Hosted by NEFAR’s St. Johns Council)
75 1st Street North, Jacksonville Beach, 32250
- Mickler’s Landing in Ponte Vedra (Hosted by NEFAR’s Ponte Vedra and Mandarin Councils)
1109 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach, 32082
- Beaches Town Center (Hosted by NEFAR’s Beaches Council)
0 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, 32256
- St. Augustine Beach Pier (Hosted by Keller Williams)
350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 32080.
Boating Convoys
NEFAR members are also invited to launch their own watercraft in the St. John’s River and join the fun. Boaters are, of course, responsible for caring for their own vessels and following all U.S. Coast Guard regulations.
- Crystal Cove Marina (Hosted by NEFAR’s Putnam Council)
131 Crystal Cove Dr., Palatka, 32177
“Our plan is to follow the 8-2 timeline. Everyone will meet at the marina at 8 a.m. to get supplies and boats will leave directly after. Anyone that would like to help from shore can go to any of the local boat ramps to collect trash. We will have a little get together afterwards at the marina for anyone that would like to hang out to celebrate our efforts,” said Chris Fields, vice chairman of the Putnam Council.
- Lions Club Boat Ramp (Hosted by the Community Affairs Task Force)
4322 Richard Denby Gatlin Rd., Jacksonville, 32277
Three pontoon boats in this convoy will be filled with the event’s major sponsors and their guests. Each pontoon boat has seating for nine passengers and a captain.
After Party
An After Party will be held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Veterans United Craft Brewery, 8999 Western Way, Jacksonville, 32256. Hopefully, all participants will join the Community Affairs Task Force as it celebrates all the hard work done by NEFAR members and their friends in cleaning up Northeast Florida’s waterways. Volunteers will enjoy cold craft beer, yummy food, and fun times with their clean-up colleagues. Prizes will be distributed and the winning Council that recruited the most volunteers will be recognized. These recognitions will take place around 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. One free drink ticket will be given to all volunteers that participate in the event.
The title sponsor for the NEFAR event is Watson Realty Corp., which is sharing the honor between its realty, title, and mortgage companies. Silver sponsors include realMLS and Golden Dog Title and Trust. Sherwin-Williams is donating the trash bags. J Dog Junk Removal is collecting the trash from all the clean-up sites. Jax Boat Rentals is donating the use of the pontoon boats. In addition, each clean-up site will also be sponsored.
Extra money raised from the event will go to NEFAR’s Charitable Foundation and be earmarked for NEFAR's Oyster Bar, a restoration project done in conjunction with the Coastal Conservation Association.
NEFAR’s Clean-up Florida Waters event is part of a statewide effort promoted by Florida Realtors®, the Sunshine State’s largest real estate association. Florida Realtors® is encouraging everyone within its membership to make time to dispose of trash littering the shorelines of lakes, beaches, creeks, rivers, and streams that are close to their homes or offices during the month of July. Members of Northeast Florida’s REALTOR® community are encouraged to grab a trash bag and head toward their favorite body of water. Please post photos on your social media pages such as Facebook and Instagram and tag #yourNEFAR as well as #CleanUpFloridaWaters.
“The goal is for everyone to come out and clean up Florida’s waterways and have a blast as well,” said Mark Feagle, a member of NEFAR’s Community Affairs Task Force. “It will be a stress-free fun time.”
Register Today
Help us to know how many volunteers to expect at each location by registering you, your friends, and family to work the clean-up site of your choice. You will also be able to register for the after-party. When you attend and participate at one of the clean-up sites you will be given a wrist band so that you may gain access to the after-party.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
