Paul and Andrea Fazzino head the Delray Beach nonprofit Beach Keepers Inc., which is dedicated to keeping beaches and other public spaces free from trash. The organization uses regular volunteers and runs special cleanup events. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Hannah Spence
Most people don’t like the sight of garbage where it doesn’t belong. However, few do anything about it. But Paul and Andrea Fazzino’s Delray Beach nonprofit, Beach Keepers Inc., is dedicated to keeping South Florida clean and beautiful.
“We started the organization because we saw an excessive amount of pollution and felt we could make a difference,” said 59-year-old Paul Fazzino.
Beach Keepers is a 501(c)(3) disaster relief and environmental beautification organization combatting pollution to benefit public spaces, inhabitants, ecosystems and communities.
The siblings, retired construction workers, started the philanthropic organization after moving to Florida from Georgia in 2017.
“We decided that working for free to benefit everyone equally was better than working to earn a living,” said Andrea Fazzino, 56. “It served us better to personally give back seven days per week than to work for money.”
Although they live in Boynton Beach, the Fazzino brothers work from Martin County south to Miami and as far west as Wellington.
A typical day includes getting up around 5 a.m., checking and writing emails, then heading to the Delray Beach office by 7 a.m. The office on southbound Federal between Southeast First and Second streets is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
“Arriving early is important to me and helps me to set the pace for the day,” said Paul Fazzino. “Not long afterwards our volunteers begin to arrive and head out in the community to clean up areas we’ve identified as unappealing or needing attention throughout Delray Beach’s downtown district and beyond.
“Managing the influx of amazing volunteers, scheduling events, hosting events, recycling and disposing of the material we collect happens throughout the day.”
Paul and Andrea can often be seen hosting large beach cleanups and picking up litter from along Federal Highway.
The brothers have created alliances with like-minded organizations like Surfing’s Evolution and the Florida Department of Transportation, where they manage FDOT Adopt-A-Mile program roadways — such as one in Briny Breezes and another in Delray Beach.
Beach Keepers Inc. provides volunteers at city events like the Delray Affair and Savor the Avenue to keep the event spaces clean and free of obstructions. Among the volunteers are people who are fighting addiction and trying to get clean, those who have been sentenced to do community service hours, and students who are donating their time in addition to working on their studies.
Paul shared a story about a volunteer named Kayla who had confided in him about her struggle with paying her student debt. This inspired him and Andrea to think of ways they could help her and other volunteers with the same issue.
The Beach Keepers Student Debt Initiative Program was started in 2023 and offers students and graduates the opportunity to help the community while receiving financial support toward student debt and educational needs. Participants can earn up to $800 monthly by doing up to 40 hours per month.
Even though Beach Keepers keeps them busy, Andrea and Paul still find time to engage in hobbies. Andrea loves to play drums and has found an outlet every Wednesday evening at the Downtown Delray Drum Circle held at Old School Square.
Paul enjoys swimming and biking. Both are classic car aficionados and have enjoyed owning, restoring and showing their favorite Dodge/Plymouth classics, which enthusiasts call Mopars after the parts brand servicing the vehicles.
The brothers share a condo.
“We want to be held to the same standards others are,” said Andrea. “Just be kind to people, invite them with a generous spirit. Our approach is simple: See it, pick it up, get it out of there, put it where it belongs.”
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