MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Starting Monday, anyone in Florida caught releasing balloons into the air will be hit with a hefty fine.
Sophie Ringel of Clean Miami Beach was one of the voices who advocated for the new law banning intentional balloon releases.
“This is an effort that took years,” she said. “We met with several state representatives and state senators and encouraged them to co-sponsor the bill.
“Then they did co-sponsor, then it passed in the House and the Senate, then a petition with other groups, ‘please sign the bill into law’ and oh my gosh, (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis) did it last week, and I was so excited about it. I think his hesitation was the children, and I understand when children accidentally let a balloon go, he was worried about his 6-year-old daughter, but that is not the bill, the bill is for intentional balloon releases.”
Ringel said the bill is about littering at the end of the day.
“We pick up so much trash and obviously there are so much balloons. It is a huge win for the environment, for the turtles and the fish, even the cows,” she said. “Balloons are especially dangerous for turtles. They think it is a jelly fish and they can get entangled in the strings. Cows also eat these balloons and it can be life-threatening, so it is a big win for the wildlife.”
Also in support of the new law is Lucas Bond, of Bond Party Supplies, a business that sells balloons among other party items.
“When it comes to balloons, I am pretty sensitive because I have been in this business for more than 10 years,” said Bond. “This law is a great law because releasing balloons is like releasing the plastic bags -- it is littering. For us, it has been now for years. We have a huge sign in our store that says you can’t release the balloons. We have so many clients who say they want to release balloons and we did not sell to them because it is littering, it ends up in the Everglades. And I have kids, two little girls, so you know this city has a future.”
Added Ringle: “I know nobody wants to kill wildlife while celebrating, folks just need to learn that there is no such thing as a balloon heaven -- that everything that goes up must come down. It is at the end litter and that is what this bill is about, that a released balloon qualifies as litter.”
The penalty will be a $150 civil fine.
Ringle’s alternative suggestions include planting a tree in memory of someone who passed away, then people can also visit that tree to see how it has grown over the years.
She also suggests butterfly releases, as long as they are a non-invasive butterfly, or gathering leaves and tossing them into the air if a celebratory moment.
At the end of the day, it’s a culture shift to have nature in mind first.
READ THE BILL AND THE STATUTE:
HB 321 - https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/321/BillText/Filed/PDF
“PENALTIES AND ENFORCEMENT - Except as provided in subparagraph 2, any person who dumps litter in violation of subsection (4) in an amount not exceeding 15 pounds in weight or 27 cubic feet in volume and not for commercial purposes commits a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a civil penalty of $150, from which $50 shall be deposited into the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund to be used for the solid waste management grant program pursuant to s. 403.7095.”