New Florida bill that would make releasing balloons illegal on its way to DeSantis

A Florida bill that would make the planned release of ballons illegal in the state is headed to the governor.

Florida House Bill 321, which was filed in November 2023, is on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk to be signed. It states that intentionally releasing, or organizing a release of balloons is prohibited and is considered to be a form of “littering” and “dumping."

If DeSantis signs the bill, the intentional release of balloons would be unlawful and would be considered a noncriminal littering infraction.

Anyone who is caught joining or organizing a balloon release will be fined $150 in a civil penalty for littering. Of that fee, $50 will be deposited to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund for its grant program.

However, there are exceptions.

Balloons that are released on behalf of a governmental agency for scientific or meteorological purposes, balloons released indoors, and hot air balloons recovered after launching will be permitted.

The bill also exempts children six years old and younger who “intentionally releases, organizes the release of, or intentionally cause” balloons to be released.

There was a previous version of the bill that would also permit biodegradable balloons to be released, but that portion was revised.

NBC6 affiliate WFLA spoke with Oceana, a non-profit dedicated to ocean conservation, which applauded lawmakers’ decision to send this bill to DeSantis but said they must continue tackling the plastic pollution crisis.

“Florida made the right call today in banning intentional balloon releases. Balloons are one of the deadliest forms of plastic pollution for ocean wildlife,” Oceana Field Campaigns Manager Hunter Miller said. “It’s great to see state legislators from both sides of the aisle come together to support a commonsense bill and get it passed. We call on Governor DeSantis to quickly sign this into law.”

If DeSantis signs the bill, it will go into effect on July 1.