Part of an office chair and other garbage litter the Fuller Warren Bridge, next to the bridge's mixed-use path. | Google
Published on September 24, 2025 at 1:02 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Q: Jacksonville Today answered a question Monday about trash along Jacksonville’s roads. A reader wanted to know why litter isn’t cleaned up better.
That brought a similar question from another reader. Elizabeth M. asks about garbage falling off Interstate 95 and the Fuller Warren Bridge.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Trash blows into the river, onto the multiuse path by the bridge and all over Park Street below, Elizabeth says.
“It’s especially frustrating in this area as it’s one of the gateways to popular visitor attractions and Downtown neighborhoods (Riverside Arts Market, Cummer Museum of Arts and Gardens, Artists Walk skate park, Five Points, Avondale, Brooklyn),” Elizabeth says.
Elizabeth has noticed debris blowing off vehicles, including trash trucks. “So that may be a contributing factor?” she asks.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
“Can you please do a follow-up … about how citizens can contact FDOT and/or state representatives, or other appropriate people, to address the issue?”
A: The Florida Department of Transportation says it typically handles mowing, litter cleanup and sweeping over six- to eight-week cycles along state roads, including bridges. But people litter as quickly as the trash is cleaned up, FDOT officials say.
The problem is especially acute in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville region routinely has significantly more trash and debris along the roads than other areas of the state, says FDOT spokesperson Hampton Ray.
For example, the amount of trash removed from Duval County roads in 2024 was 32% greater than the trash removed from Broward County during the same period, Ray says.
Those statistics underscore the need for educating the public, Ray says. FDOT has many campaigns to remind drivers about littering, including its Litter Less Live More campaign.
The department also offers these ideas if you notice problems:
- The Adopt-A-Highway program helps keep roads free from litter. Any person or group that wants to adopt a highway can go to this FDOT website or call 800-226-5488.
- The Fuller Warren Bridge shared-use path has an Adopt-A-Trail sponsor that helps support cleanup initiatives to keep it free from litter.
- Other agencies might help if you see trash flying off a truck, Ray says. Commercial vehicle enforcement is a function of the Florida Highway Patrol. FHP or local law enforcement may be able to assist with violations of anti-littering laws, Ray says.
