Regional Meetings 2026

Another year, another trip around the state of Florida for the Keep Florida Beautiful Regional Meetings!

Regional meetings offer affiliates a more intimate space to discuss the happenings within the affiliate network. Unlike conferences which can often be overwhelming and too busy to set aside time to network, regionals creates dedicated time within a variety of regions around the state, offering multiple opportunities for affiliates to spend the day talking about events, cleanups, beautification, and issues they face in a safe judgement-free environment. One of the main points discussed during these meeting were funding worries, legislature, diversifying income, and burnout within affiliates. While there are deep discussions about the hardships and worries affiliates tackle each day, there are also many creative ideas that help bring fun and enjoyment into their daily activities,  as well as ideas that assist with the efficiency of duties.

First stop

The first meeting was held in Okaloosa County with local affiliate Keep Okaloosa Beautiful hosting. In attendance were Keep Okaloosa Beautiful, Keep Franklin County Beautiful, Keep Walton County Beautiful, and Beautify FSU. Here are a few creative programs created from the attending affiliates:

Walton county has the program, “Host your own cleanup” on their site: This helps cater to the groups that don’t necessarily want to be apart of big events, and would rather pickup/drop off supplies at their leisure for areas they want to tackle alone.

Okaloosa: True or False Jenga with recycling and litter facts.

Beautify FSU: Scrapbook of photos and cleanup amounts

After the meeting we were able to tour the Emerald Coast Science Center. We were educated by our tour guide Harley on their sustainable practices, how their animal ambassadors came to find a home there, and the different environmental programs they run year round. We even had the opportunity to hold a few of the animal ambassadors such as Lovelace the Amelanistic Red Rat Snake and Kirby the Blue-Tongued Skink!

Second Stop

The second meeting was held in Alachua County with the host affiliate Keep Alachua County Beautiful. In attendance were Keep Alachua County Beautiful, Keep Wildwood Beautiful, Keep Flagler Beach Beautiful, and Keep Jacksonville Beautiful.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to tour The Repurpose Project. The Repurpose Project is a non-profit community based effort to divert useful resources from the landfill, redirect these items to the public for art and education, inspire creativity, and help us all rethink what we throw away. We were guided through each room and building, and were educated on the journey they’ve taken to build the legacy they have today. They are truly helping to reduce and reuse EVERYTHING! 

Wild Horses OH MY!

On the way to the third stop, we had the honor of spotting wild horses within the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. We took a minute to pull off, and watch them from a distance as it’s rare to see them. Witnessing them roaming the preserve reminded us why we work so hard to Keep Florida Beautiful, it’s not just for us, it’s because this land belongs to them and it’s our responsibility to keep it clean, green, and beautiful. We made sure to pick up litter that was along the roadway or encroaching into the preserve before heading off once more!

Third Stop

The third meeting, held in Manatee County with the host affiliate Keep Manatee Beautiful. In attendance were Keep Manatee Beautiful, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Keep Polk County Beautiful, Keep Pasco County Beautiful, Keep Charlotte Beautiful, Keep Winter Haven Beautiful, and Keep Lee County Beautiful.

After the meeting which took place at the MOTE SEA aquarium, we took a tour of the facility. It was incredible to see the research they’re conducting with mangrove habitats and redfish breeding, as well as seeing the standard of care for the marine animals they have.

Fourth Stop

Our fourth stop was in Miami Florida with Keep Miami Beautiful as the hosting affiliate. The meeting took place at Simpson Hammock Preserve Park with Keep Miami Beautiful Keep Oakland Park Beautiful, Keep Coral Gables Beautiful, Keep Miami-Dade Beautiful, Keep North Miami Beautiful, Keep Miami Gardens Beautiful, and Keep Broward Beautiful in attendance. While many of the initial conversations mentioned at the beginning of this blog were discussed, affiliates also focused discussions around topics that directly related to their locations such as unhoused outreach and multi-cultural marketing.

After the meeting, we took part in a guided tour of Simpson Hammock Preserve Park, due to weather it was cut short but we were able to see the different species of trees that call Miami home. (Some even come with warning signs!)

Final Stop

The fifth and final stop was in Orlando with Keep Orlando Beautiful as our host affiliate. The meeting took place at Oakland Nature Preserve with Keep Orlando Beautiful, Keep Alachua County Beautiful, Keep Nassau Beautiful, Keep Lake Beautiful, and Keep Winter Park Beautiful in attendance.

After discussions we toured and hiked the Oakland Nature Preserve, our Executive Director Sherry was especially excited about this as she’s a lover of bird watching. We were able to learn about and see Lake Apopka basin’s ecosystems surrounded by people who are passionate about preserving it.

We are very excited for 2027, to see what new programs affiliates are doing, and learning more about the organizations they work with on a daily basis. It’s not possible to Keep Florida Beautiful if we all don’t work together. If you are wanting to work alongside your local affiliate, check where your nearest one HERE.