The weather was just beginning to clear up Saturday morning as members of the Rising Republican Youth of South Florida met at Virginia Key Beach for their Clean and Green Beach cleanup.

As the day grew hotter and steamier, the politically minded volunteers continued to tromp through piles of seaweed at the water's edge, removing all manner of flotsam and jetsam from the shoreline.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen even turned out for a short time to help the cleanup effort.

"It's not something traditionally associated with Republicans," said Keith Fernandez, communications director of the group, referring to the traditional association between the political left and environmentalism.

But the Rising Republican Youth want to change that sort of thinking with plans to make the beach cleanup an annual event.

Fernandez described the organization as being composed of "action-oriented people," concerned citizens who combine their political leanings with activities that are beneficial to their communities.

"We all need to do more. And these young people are getting it done," Ros-Lehtinen said.

Saturday marked only the second big event for the organization, established late last year and chartered in May by the Republicans of Florida. To date, Rising Republican Youth of South Florida had only about 50 registered members, but word of mouth and social networking are boosting membership, vice president Yara Lorenzo said.

"There are over 130 people in our Facebook group," Lorenzo said.
"It's a good source of recruitment."

The organization's first event, held in May, was a bowling night-cum-political rally, and members of Congress and state representatives as well as 75 new members came out to show their support.

In the months leading up to the presidential election, the club feels it is important to focus its efforts on the needs of the community.

"The idea is to make it permanent by getting involved in community improvement," Lorenzo said.

Lorenzo and club president Ariel Fernandez settled on the idea of cleaning up Virginia Key Beach because of its historical importance. The beach reopened in February after a 26-year closure, and relies heavily on volunteers to keep the 82 ½-acre park in shape.

"A lot of people come here and aren't environmentally conscious," park representative Marcia Anderson said. "Volunteers are the ones that really restore the beach. We have support but we're spread thin."

After the cleanup, volunteers regrouped for an informational tour of the park, led by Anderson, and a presentation by Carlos Canino representing Dream in Green, an educational program geared toward Miami-Dade Public Schools that aims to reduce students' carbon footprint and dependency on foreign oil and eventually to ameliorate global warming through energy-saving programs.

Canino said he hopes that organizations such as the Rising Republican Youth will value natural resources over traditional partisan ideas.

"You normally don't hear `green' and 'Republican' in the same sentence," Canino said. "Green is really mainstream these days and it makes sense."

Although the Rising Republican Youth of South Florida is technically limited to those between the ages of 18 and 40, the "young at heart" are welcomed as honorary members.