FLIBS Beach Cleanup

On Saturday, October 24, 2026, The International SeaKeepers Society partnered with Rock the Ocean and The Local Octopus Foundation for the 4th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) Beach Cleanup presented by Suzuki, Tortuga Music Festival and Informa. SeaKeepers joined these partners on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, where 86 volunteers turned up to kick off the boat show by volunteering to protect our ocean from the threats of marine debris. When a volunteer returned with a full bucket or bag of trash, it was left with SeaKeepers Community Engagement Manager who sorted the debris for data collection and to separate recyclables. Frequently seen trash like plastic bottles, aluminum cans, bottle caps, plastic straws, and cigarette butts were separated into buckets, and at the end of the cleanup, the Rock the Ocean team uploaded the data for those categories to the Trash Blitz app. Collecting real data on these “repeat offender” trash types helps prove why recently proposed legislation that targets cigarettes and food packaging is necessary. After sorting about 20% of the trash, recyclables like glass bottles and plastic cups and bottles were placed in a designated recycling bag, and the rest of the trash was discarded separately. In just 2 hours, these volunteers collected 139 pounds of debris from the sand and dunes, leaving the beach much cleaner for wildlife to enjoy. To reward their hard work, Rock the Ocean co-founder Tara raffled off prizes such as tickets to the boat show and Tortuga Music Festival. SeaKeepers had a great time kicking off FLIBS with these partners, and we look forward to doing it again next year!