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🌎This man picked up a literal ton of trash.
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🌎This man picked up a literal ton of trash.

Spotted on recent cleanups in Bear Cut Preserve
(Photos courtesy of Andrew Otazo)

Andrew Otazo caused a stir when he posted a video to Facebook showing him collecting 2,015 pounds of trash in Bear Cut Preserve in just 23 days. The area is just up the beach from Crandon Park, but few people ever wander up to that patch of mangrove forests and tidal pools.

If they did, they would find a beautiful view of Miami, peace and quiet… and an endless amount of trash, everything from boots to water drums. Andrew’s taken on cleaning up Bear Cut as his personal mission.

HIS CLEANUP STATS: 27 days, or 91 hours, of trash cleanup. He’s collected 2,360 pounds to date. (Yes, 2,000 pounds is literally a ton.)

HIS DAY JOB: He’s the executive director of the Cuba Study Group.

HOW THE TRASH GETS THERE: Most of the trash washes into Biscayne Bay from land. It’s washed up onto Bear Cut Preserve with high tide, and left there when the tide goes back out.

HOW THIS PLASTIC TRASH AFFECTS YOU: It’s basic biology. Plastic is weathered by rain, heat, and salt, and it eventually disintegrates. It washes back into the sea and is eaten by animals at the bottom of the ocean food chain. Those are eaten by the fish that we eat – tarpon, tuna, marlin, etc. “We might as well chew through a recycling bin,” Andrew says.

ALSO… It’s injuring and killing our wildlife. He’s found dead pelicans with their gullets full of plastic, manatees with fishing lines attached to their backs, and fish trapped by netting.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Join Andrew and the Frost Museum of Science on Saturday, April 21, at their cleanup. Details here.  

Plus, read on for more about Andrew’s experience and his suggestions on how you can help.

WE’RE COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS…

… Until Sunday’s Day of Thrones, our annual field day with O, Miami. It’s an epic team-competition battle of brains and brawn at Margaret Pace Park in Edgewater, and only one “house” can win. No, you don’t need to know anything about Game of Thrones. No, you don’t have to be athletic. Yes, you can form a team with your friends (but it’s cool to just show up, too). Yes, you have to be ready to throw down some poems and play tug of war. Details and a link to buy tickets here.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE 305

It’s complicated. After a string of killings in recent weeks, Liberty City is brimming with police. But while it feels safer for now, residents don’t expect that feeling to last. There are a lot of unanswered questions: will the redevelopment of Liberty Square spark other improvements in the neighborhood? Can police make it safe for witnesses to testify against killers? This deep dive will give you some much-needed context behind the headlines. (Miami Herald)

Trump’s in town. President Trump is in Miami today. The thing everyone’s talking about isn’t his business roundtable, it’s which local Republican politicians will stand by their man. Mayor Carlos Gimenez endorsed Hillary Clinton in the election, and both Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen refused to support him. No word on whether Gov. Rick Scott, who has been a big supporter, will be here. (Miami Herald)

Move over Joe & The Juice. Miami’s favorite spot for fresh juice and Cuban faves, Palacio de los Jugos, is headed to SoBe, but you’ll have to look a little harder to find it – the local chain is going for a much more chill pastel vibe to fit in with the nabe. How all this came to be is an oh-so-Miami story, featuring the Conga Queen herself. (Miami.com)

Humanity wins. In 2016, Florida began talking about requiring that juries in death sentence cases be unanimous (previously only a majority was needed), and that became state law in March 2017. Since the idea was floated, death sentences in Florida – which once had some of the highest capital punishment rates in the U.S. – have plummeted, from 22 in 2012 to three in 2016 and three in 2017. Long story short: 2016 and 2017’s death sentences combined are still less than any single previous year since the death penalty was put in place in the 1970s. (Tampa Bay Times)

Look ma, no human. If you ordered delivery from Brickell Domino’s Pizza the last few weeks, you might have noticed something missing: the driver. Ford has been trying out its self-driving vehicles all over the 305, including with Domino’s to test out whether they can be used for delivery services of all kinds. The answer from the test seems to be a resounding yes. But delivery people aren’t about to become obsolete – driverless delivery only works with curbside drop off, so far. Apartment dwellers, you’ll still get your pizza from a human. (Miami Herald)

Foodie frenzy. While grocery stores are struggling all over the U.S. as delivery services like AmazonFresh take off, here in Florida, grocery stores are poppin’ and new ones are opening every week. But it has nada to do with our love of Publix – most of the growth is happening with specialty grocery stores, like Earth Fare, Lucky’s Market, and other chains beloved by foodies who care about the things they eat being local and organic. (Tampa Bay Times)

Comeback queen? After two YEARS of construction and chaos, Miracle Mile is finally back. One big question remains, though: will the crowds come back, too? (Miami Herald)

AND IF MONDAY HAS YOU FEELING BLUE…

Make some post-work plans to hit up one of the 305’s many $1 oyster happy hours with your crew.

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