Florida Legislators Take Aim at Balloon Releases: (Again)

Florida Legislators Take Aim at Balloon Releases: A Renewed Battle for Environmental Protection? You decided.Photo byPalm Coast Local

A Renewed Battle for Environmental Protection?

Florida Senator Nick DiCeglie from St. Petersburg and Florida House Representative Linda Chaney from St. Pete Beach introduced bills that could impact party balloon retailers in across Florida and our local Palm Coast and Flagler County retailers.

SB 602 and HB 321, aim to change Florida regulations for inflatables, addressing concerns about their environmental impact.

SB 602 Reads as follows:

Release of Balloons; Revising a prohibition on the release of certain balloons to delete a specified timeframe and number of balloons; deleting an exemption from such prohibition for certain biodegradable or photodegradable balloons; providing that a person who violates the prohibition commits the noncriminal infraction of littering, etc.

Effective Date: 7/1/2024
Last Action: 11/28/2023 Senate - Filed

HB 321 Reads as Follows:

Release of Balloons; Provides that intentional release of certain balloons is considered littering; revises penalty for such release.

Effective Date: 7/1/2024
Last Action: 11/13/2023 House - Now in Agriculture, Conservation & Resiliency Subcommittee

Under both versions of the legislation, the outdoor release of balloons would be classified as littering. The proposed penalty would shift from a $250-per-violation fine to a $150 charge for every 15 pounds or 27 cubic feet of improperly scattered material.

Senator DiCeglie's bill takes a more comprehensive approach by prohibiting the outdoor release of any balloon types, (this would include the popular lantern release too) except for hot air balloons recovered after launch. This includes balloons made wholly of biodegradable or photodegradable substances, which were previously exempted. Additionally, the bill eliminates the current allowance for releasing fewer than 10 balloons of any type outside, even if no more are released within a 24-hour period.

Of the $150 fine collected under Senator DiCeglie's bill, $50 would contribute to the state's Solid Waste Management Trust Fund. This fund supports various programs related to rubbish abatement, documentation, education, recycling, and mosquito control.

These bills, presented by Republicans DiCeglie and Chaney, follow similar legislation sponsored by Chaney and Hollywood Democratic Senator Jason Pizzo in months prior, which received no traction in the state legislature. Senator Pizzo emphasized the non-political nature of the issue, stating that the release of balloons has detrimental environmental effects and should be universally opposed. According to the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, U.S. beaches accumulated nearly 300,000 balloons between 2008 and 2016, averaging over 31,000 balloons per year.

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How do you feel about this proposed house and sentate bill and do you think it has an impact on the environment? Let us know in the comments.