The community spirit is alive and well for nearly 100 Johnson Engineering employees, their families, friends, the Friends of Lover’s Key (F.O.L.K.S) and park staff. This dedicated group pitched in on Saturday, October 24th for the 7th consecutive year. The group volunteered their time to preserve one of Florida’s natural gems, the park which bears their founder’s name, Carl E. Johnson State Park commonly referred to as Lovers Key.
Johnson Engineering’s Coastal Cleanup began in 2003 in honor of the company’s founder, Carl E. Johnson, whose efforts in the late 1960’s were instrumental in helping to acquire the land from local donors, surveying and establishing the extremely popular 1100-acre beach and wildlife area that we know and enjoy today. This event’s volunteer efforts were previously recognized by The Friends of Florida State Parks with the Outstanding Volunteer Team of the Year Award for exceptional service and support.
The company’s employees are proud of their roots and intrigued by the historical connection, so they come together each year to do their part in keeping the park looking its best. In addition to a typical beach clean up, volunteers helped with a wide range of projects from building litter receptacles, replacing tram shelter roofing and bridge fencing, constructing rope fencing, to removing invasive exotic plants, and mulching. After the morning’s efforts, the group enjoyed a traditional volunteer supplied potluck lunch in the beach pavilion.