FLEMING ISLAND – On Saturday, July 8, members of Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS and their families will take to the shores of the St. Johns River to take part in a state-wide waterway clean-up project sponsored by Florida Realtors. The clean-up has been organized by NEFAR’s Community Affairs Task Force, and members of the public are invited to join in.

One of the cleanups will be at Knight’s Boat Ramp at Black Creek.

“Clean and safe waterways have been a NEFAR priority for many years,” said 2023 NEFAR President Diana Galavis. “This year we are expecting a large turnout of community residents and business owners to join our REALTORS as they endeavor to keep our waterways clean and safe. NEFAR is proud to share what started as a grassroots effort and has grown into an annual event with many volunteers and several host site locations.”

“The goal is to collect 10 tons of trash,” said NEFAR clean-up organizer Mark Feagle. The massive clean-up project will take place at eight local boat ramps and the riverwalk in downtown Jacksonville, spanning the distance from Mayport to Palatka.

In addition, three pontoon boats, hosted by NEFAR’s event sponsors, real MLS, Golden Dog Title & Trust, and Watson Realty Corp., will leave from Jax Boat Rentals, 8920 San Jose Blvd., in Jacksonville at 9 am. They will head northwest to clean up hard-to-reach places near the Riverside Arts Market.

Meanwhile, a convoy of individual boaters will gather at the same time at Arlington’s Lions Club Boat Ramp, 4322 Richard Denby Gatlin Road in Jacksonville.

Their mission is to use their watercraft to clean up portions of the river’s shoreline that are inaccessible by land, particularly in the area near JAXPort, near the Dames Point Bridge and under the Mathews Bridge.  

A barge supplied by Current Problems, a nonprofit based in Gainesville that seeks to restore and protect the wetlands and waterways of Florida, will be available to assist in the trash disposal. Boaters are, of course, responsible for caring for their own vessels and following all U.S. Coast Guard regulations.

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.

Each participant will also receive a special T-shirt commemorating the event and two free drink tickets to use at the Afterparty at the NEFAR Resource Center, 7801 Deercreek Club Road in Jacksonville.