Pink excavator promotes breast cancer awareness in October

It’s hard to miss a hot pink excavator on a construction site. That was the idea behind Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) contractors C&L Landscape’s and Jax Dirtworks Inc.’s latest effort to promote breast cancer awareness and support research for a cure. The excavator, nicknamed “Pinky,” works on the Beach Boulevard landscaping project and wears the slogan “Digging for a Cure” across its engine housing.   Pinky is being rented during the entire month of October, and all proceeds go to breast cancer research. The life-threatening illness hits close to home for Jax Dirtworks Inc. owner Jennifer Holdeman, who lost her best friend to the battle in August. Said Holdeman, “I promised to continue her fight to find a cure and support others with the same battle.”

The bright pink John Deere 210G excavator is also decorated with ribbon decals supporting the fight against multiple types of cancer. Pinky is rented from Beard Equipment. One of the owners of Beard Equipment, Kristen Delaney, has battled melanoma.

Pinky is actually Beard Equipment’s second pink machine. In the previous three years of renting pink machines, Beard Equipment has collected and donated $135,000 to cancer research.

Pinky is being used by Jax Dirtworks to remove dirt in the medians along Beach Boulevard to make way for C&L Landscape’s installation of 142 Medjool Date Palms, 18 Wild Date Palms, 256 Sabal Palms, 46 Washington Palms and Crown Grass as groundcover.

Landscaping began August 24 along 5.3 miles of Beach Boulevard from St. Johns Bluff to San Pablo Road. The $3.1 million project is scheduled for completion in spring 2016.