TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill, which makes it illegal to intentionally release balloons, has passed in the Florida house. It is now headed to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The House voted 102-9 to pass HB 321 on Tuesday. It was amended by the Senate to exempt children six years of age or younger from possibly being fined for balloon releases under the Florida state litter law.
“What goes up must come down and we see that not just sea turtles, but sea birds and other wildlife are affected by these balloons and the string that’s attached to them,” said Bette Zirkelbach, manager of the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach, would ban intentional outdoor balloon releases and consider them to be a noncriminal littering offense, punishable with fines up to $150.
The bill has also been supported by cattle ranchers in the state, who have expressed frustration over balloons landing in their pastures. Unknowing cattle have mistaken balloons for food, which they are unable to digest, which has caused some cattle to die.
“I’ve followed this issue of how balloons have impacted our wildlife, particularly endangered sea turtles,” said Chaney.
Rep. Dianne Hart, (D)-Tampa arguing enforcement could disproportionately affect groups who hold balloon release events as memorials and commemorations.
“People in the black community that I know that’s what we do as a cultural thing,” said Hart.
In South Florida, Broward Democrat Dan Daley who represents Florida’s 97th district voted in favor of the bill.
“HB 321 is an important step in keeping our beaches and waterways safe and clean for Floridians, our wildlife, and our visitors. Deflated balloons are litter and don’t belong in our environment,” said Daley.
Environmental groups like Broward-based Trashy Girls Collective, told Local 10′s Saira Anwer about the devastation they witness by balloon debris in South Florida waterways.
“We see it on a daily basis. For people that are releasing them, they’re not out on the water and they don’t get to see it every day,” said Greg Talerico, Trashy Girls Collective.
They said educating the public is key and helping Floridians find other ways to remember loved ones and celebrate milestones like holidays and gender reveals.
If DeSantis signs the bill into law, it will take effect on July 1, 2024.