Litter Task Force intent on cleaning up Marion County

Members of the Litter Task Force pose for a photo at Marion County Growth Services in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. [Courtesy Jovanny Arenas/Marion County].

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Posted November 5, 2021 | By Matthew Cretul
matthew@ocalagazette.com

Marion County’s new Litter Task Force held an organizational meeting on Monday. The group met to hear updates and results from the recently completed individual committee meetings as well as to offer their feedback on proposed marketing and promotional materials.

The task force is comprised of 26 total members from city, county, state, and federal agencies, all operating in Marion County, as well as local business leaders and community members.

Additionally, the task force has four committees that are focused on fiscal, marketing, enforcement, and community outreach areas.

Each of the five Marion County commissioners appointed one representative from their district to the task force, and Marion County Public Schools and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office each have a presence, for a total of seven voting members.  The remaining 19 members are in either non-voting or support roles.

Marion County commissioner Craig Curry, who spearheaded the task force, said it was necessary to combat a growing litter problem around the county. Not only is the trash hard on the eyes, it’s hard on the county’s coffers as well.

“So, the taxpayers and the county are paying over $933,000 a year in tax money to pick up litter. And that doesn’t include the volunteers, which is probably another half million dollars if you were to pay them for their time,” explained Curry.

The focus of the task force isn’t simply on picking up trash around the county, but it is also focused on seeing a change in attitudes and actions to promote a long-term solution to litter.

Marion County School Board representative and Community Outreach & Education Committee chair Lauren Debick highlighted the task force’s two-prong approach.

“Clean-up solutions are just part of the puzzle here. We are really focused on prevention tactics and changing the mindset and behaviors of Marion County residents and visitors as it relates to littering,” Debick pointed out.

“Educating and engaging the youth in our county [are]going to be key as we can help teach proper disposing and recycling habits from a young age. We are excited about working with students as well on some creative projects that will bring awareness to this campaign,” she continued.

The students are a special focus, according to Curry.

“We’ve got about 42,000 school kids [in Marion County], and they are as local as you can get. If we can get the hearts and minds of the kids, they’ll go, ‘Hey, Dad, why are you throwing that can out the window?’”

Curry said meetings such as the one held Monday help the task force work toward an actionable plan, which they can approach local governments with to coordinate an implementation.

“We will generate over the next six months or less a program of action, and then, it will go to the county commission for approval…we have a fiscal subcommittee that will try to put numbers together…but then, we can go to the commission, the city of Ocala, maybe Dunnellon and Belleview, and say, ‘Look, this is the price tag. Are you willing to participate?’”

After an opening and welcome from task force chair and District 1 representative Beth McCall on Monday, each of the four committee chairs briefed the group on their progress, including a task force mascot and slogan.

McCall was happy with the results of the meeting.

“I think it went very well. I think we’re further along than I thought we would be,” she said after the meeting. “Everybody here has a lot of pride in Marion County.”

“We got a lot of great ideas. We had a healthy discussion about all the different topics, and I think all the committees put a lot of work into it, and I think we’re going to see some good results,” added Bill Gladson, a non-voting member and chair of the Ordinances and Enforcement Committee.

The committees have been meeting individually for the last month, and Monday was their first full report.

The task force leadership will meet in the coming weeks to determine the group’s next steps, and the next full meeting of the task force will be the first Monday in December.

Task force recommendations are to be completed by April 4, 2022.