City of Cocoa Beach
Transcript of City of Cocoa Beach
City of Cocoa Beach
Beach Cleaning Methods
Seaweed Raking
Hand Picking and Removing Trash
Barber Surf Rake Mechanical Cleaning
Other Services
Beach Erosion
Hazard Control
Turtle Nest Monitoring
Misconceptions Seaweed is not removed from the beach
during our raking process.
We hand pick trash and debris from the
wrack line. Then seaweed is incorporated
below the wrack line with our seaweed
rake to fortify the beach.
We believe seaweed is a vital
component of the beach ecosystem and
helps build up the beach.
Misconceptions
We do not rake over dunes.
Our FDEP Permit conditions state
that all mechanical beach cleaning
equipment must stay 10 feet away
from any salt native vegetation in
order to encourage dune growth.
Seaweed Rake & Basket
Custom Rake- The seaweed is raked and integrated
at the tide line. The drag bar removes tire marks and
leaves the beach smooth. Note: Trash and debris is
placed in the basket and removed from the beach.
Excessive Seaweed • We were able to integrate
this seaweed into the wrack
line after a severe storm
event.
• We do not recommend
removing seaweed from the
beach. Seaweed is a vital
component of the beach
ecosystem and helps build the
shoreline, and provides
nutrients for shore life.
• When you remove seaweed
from the beach, you remove
sand as well.
Barber Surf Rake
(Sanitizing)
• This equipment removes man-made debris
and trash from the upper portion of beach.
• This equipment does not have to be used
at the wrack line where the seaweed is
located.
• The tines pull up trash into a hopper and
the sand falls back onto the beach.
• No chemicals or cleaning agents are used.
Barber Surf Rake
Used on the upper
portion of the beach.
Grooms and
mechanically cleans
the sand.
Picks up bottles,
cans, plastic cups,
and man-made debris
and removes it from
the beach.
Barber Surf Rake Results
The Barber Surf Rake mechanically removes man-made trash and debris, and lets the sand fall
back onto the beach.
Trash & Debris
• Trash
removed from
the beach in
one day of
cleaning.
• Taken from
the beach to a
dumpster for
disposal.
Cocoa Beach Issues
Issues:
Old debris remains at
the upper portion of
beach.
Cigarette ends, bottle
caps, man-made trash,
and other small debris
items remain in the
sand, especially in high
traffic areas south of the
pier.
Hazardous Materials Removal
We use our specialized equipment to remove large objects
and hazardous materials that are washed onto the beach.
Environmental Permitting
• We apply for our permit through the
Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (FDEP).
• We also receive special permit
conditions from Florida Fish & Wildlife
(FWC) to ensure our cleaning
practices are safe in regards to turtle
nesting activities.
Turtle Nest Monitoring
During turtle nesting season, each turtle nest is recorded
using a “sub-meter” GPS device so nests can be
reestablished after storms so cleaning can resume.
Turtle Nesting Data 2014
Over 3,000 Sea Turtle Nests on the beaches we clean.
We obtain GPS coordinates for every nest in Broward County.