This is a classic piece of sculpture that is just deteriorating, Buckles observes. Sealers should have been applied every five years to protect it. Located just north of Star Island and west of Miami Beach, Flagler Memorial Island has long been a ramp for Jet Skiers and a dump site for boaters, who picnic or party and then jettison their waste, as evidenced by a rusty three-leg barbecue half buried in the sand. Budweiser cans and Corona bottles litter the landscape. Doritos bags and empty tubes of suntan lotion are tangled in the brush.
Trash cans brim with garbage.
Anti-litter signs have been knocked down and covered in weeds. The rats are having a field day, Buckles complains. The abuse of historical sites is a hallmark of South Florida, evidence that 100 years after its founding, the area has yet to catch its breath, ponder its past, and move gently forward. Buckles and other City of Miami Beach officials and activists want to change this by applying for grants and enlisting volunteer help to fix up this and other community treasures. We are in the process of putting pen to paper, says Lisa Liotta, chairperson for the Miami Beach Beautification Committee.