Coke Florida Associates Dedicate 1,000 Volunteer Hours for International Coastal Cleanup Day 2024

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) recognized the global celebration of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day with activities organized throughout its 18-territory market focused on sustainability and resiliency. Held Saturday, September 21st, nearly 600 of the company’s associates participated in various cleanup events throughout the state.

Coke Florida, a family-owned Coca-Cola bottler serving 47 of Florida’s 67 counties, prioritizes sustainability within its operations and community engagement throughout the year, led by four focus areas: Recycling, Water Stewardship, Resiliency, and Litter and Waste Reduction. The company’s footprint spans from Jacksonville to The Keys.

The company joined efforts with Keep Florida Beautiful and various affiliates on community cleanup projects. An event was held in each of Coke Florida’s territories, and volunteers contributed nearly 1,000 total hours of time for the cause. Headquartered in Tampa, local associates from the company’s Tampa and St. Petersburg locations participated in a friendly Battle of The Bay Event which took place at Ben T. Davis Beach and Gandy Beach.

As part of Coke Florida’s ICC Sustainability Territory Team Challenge, associates collected and weighed litter and debris at local beaches and parks for disposal. In its third year, the challenge celebrates the territory that collects the most waste on average.

The Taylor Family Impact Foundation announced a $1 million gift to Bonnet Springs Park at an event held on ICC Day. The Taylor Family Impact Foundation has an action-oriented commitment to drive positive socioeconomic impact and to enrich the communities in which the Taylors operate their businesses. Troy Taylor and his family own Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. The park’s lagoon will now be known as the “Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Wetland Preserve.”

“Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do at Coke Florida,” said Erin Black, Vice President, Sustainability, Risk Management and Facilities. “Whether that is through our 100 percent rPet initiatives, rain barrel donations, Sustainability Superheroes partnership with the University of Florida Stavros Center, or litter and waste reduction cleanups like the ICC Sustainability Territory Team Challenge, the passion and dedication our team has toward Sustainability is always growing.”

About Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is the sixth largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Coke Florida markets, sells, manufactures, distributes, and merchandises products of The Coca-Cola Company in an exclusive territory that covers over 21 million consumers across 47 Florida counties that includes the Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville metropolitan areas. The company employs over 5,000 associates and has four GreenCircle certified manufacturing facilities and eighteen sales and distribution centers. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Tampa, Coke Florida is the one of the largest Black-owned business in the United States and is Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certified. In 2024, Coke Florida was recognized as a US Best Managed Company by Deloitte-Private and The Wall Street Journal for the third consecutive year. To learn more, visit www.cokeflorida.com