Keep Manatee Beautiful

🌿 Want to stay in the loop with all the amazing things happening at Keep Manatee Beautiful?

From community cleanups and tree giveaways to environmental restoration projects and volunteer opportunities, our newsletter is the best way to stay connected and get involved in creating a cleaner, greener Manatee County. 💚🌎

📬 Our next edition drops tomorrow and trust us… you won’t want to miss it! Stay updated on upcoming events, community impact stories, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Subscribe today and be part of the movement helping keep Manatee beautiful for generations to come. 🌴

🔗 https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/Z7PWLVW/manateebeautiful

It was a busy day for the team at Keep Manatee Beautiful! Staff and volunteers divided and conquered across Manatee County! 🫶

In Anna Maria, Keep Manatee Beautiful, Troop 5321, Mayor Short, and the City of Anna Maria teamed up to plant 4,000 sea oats along the dunes of Anna Maria City. This not only helps beautify our shoreline, but also strengthens the dune system, helping prevent erosion and improve protection during coastal flooding and storm events. 🌾🌊🏝️

In Palmetto, Keep Manatee Beautiful staff joined cleanup efforts following the vandalism at Old Memphis Cemetery, helping beautify, restore, and enhance the grounds so those laid to rest there can continue to be honored with dignity. 🌳💚

Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who took time out of their weekend to help keep Manatee beautiful! 🙌

Last week, Manatee Elementary School hosted its Centennial Community Beautification morning. With the generosity of Keep Manatee Beautiful, Home Depot on Cortez, The Plant Place, and private donations, the courtyard was filled with volunteers and an ample supply of Florida-friendly, pollinator-attracting plants.

A new magnolia was planted in honor of Mr. Ozell Ackerman. His original dedicated magnolia tree was lost during the 2024 hurricane season. An oak tree was added to the playground, and other magnolias were planted near the primary classrooms. Gardens near the music room were completed with pollinator-friendly plants. Two new garden beds were planted adjacent to our covered area and fruit trees.

"This was a true community event with young students, former students, teachers, and community members contributing to this project's success", said Stacy Goode, STEAM Teacher. "We planted with purpose, knowing we are growing the legacy of Manatee Elementary for its next 100 years."

Paradise isn’t paradise without clean beaches. ❗️🌊☀️

Every piece of litter left behind has an impact on our marine life, waterways, and the places we all love to enjoy. From sea turtles to shorebirds, trash doesn’t just disappear.

This Memorial Day weekend, let’s work together to keep Manatee County beautiful:
♻️ Use trash and recycle bins
🐢 Pick up litter when you see it
🌴 Leave the beach better than you found it

Small actions make a huge difference for our community and gulf ecosystem. 💙

Your support helps us organize cleanups, educate the community, plant native landscapes, and protect the beautiful environment we all call home. If you’d like to support our mission, please consider making a donation through www.manateebeautiful.com/donate 🙌

Together, we can protect paradise for generations to come.

This evening, we were pleased to present awards to the Sugg Middle School FFA for their outstanding leadership in the 2025/2026 environmental project. The recipients this year were Eli Bailey, Emma Grossman, and Sadie Manzano. They developed a Vermicompost program, collecting food scraps from the school cafeteria and depositing them in a compost bin with live worms to generate 'worm castings' compost, which was utilized in the FFA gardens on campus. We are delighted to recognize the exceptional achievements of Manatee students.

We’re excited to share that Keep Manatee Beautiful has officially adopted two plots in the Geraldson Community Garden! 🌱💚

Right now, the plots are growing sun h**p, a cover crop used to naturally amend and enrich the soil, helping create healthy conditions for future growing seasons.

Community gardens play such an important role in connecting people to nature, local food systems, and one another, and we’re proud to support this incredible space alongside the Manatee County UF-IFAS Extension team.

We can’t wait to keep sharing updates about what’s growing at the KMB community garden beds and watch the space continue to flourish! 🌿

Interested in getting involved or adopting a garden plot of your own? Reach out to the Manatee County UF-IFAS Extension () for more information.

Thank you to all who came out in honor of Jim and thank you to the incredible organizations who made this possible 🌳💚

Happening now!!

🌿 Calling all high school students in Manatee County! 🌿

Want to make a real impact in your community while building leadership skills and meeting like-minded peers?

Join us for the Youth Advisory Council Interest Meeting and learn how you can help drive a cleaner, greener Manatee County 🌎✨

📅 Thursday, May 7
⏰ 4:30 – 5:30 PM
💻 Virtual via Microsoft Teams 👉bd80b1a3-eff7-46b4-8a5d-771d9e5a0e25@b249aaf5-cb53-4cd0-964f-0d7c7ba209cf" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bd80b1a3-eff7-46b4-8a5d-771d9e5a0e25@b249aaf5-cb53-4cd0-964f-0d7c7ba209cf

This is your chance to be part of something bigger, help shape projects, lead initiatives, and make a difference for generations to come.

Tag a student who should be part of this 👇