With thousands of sea turtle hatchlings already this year, keeping the beach clean is even more of a top priority now for the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watchers.

"Both adults and hatchlings, encounter toys and beach furniture on the beach that impede their travel to the water," says Kristen Mazzarrella, executive director for Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, "It could keep the hatchlings from being able to see the horizon, so they might get confused, or they might use a little bit of extra energy to go around those toys."

And during a busy travel season, beachgoers who fail to clean up toys or leave sand castles can pose a danger.

That's where 16-year-old Girl Scout and Florida native Zoe Landers got her idea to build a toy box.

When I first put it here, I had a lot of toys from my commu

See Full Page