Florida Legislature to local governments: You can't ban plastic straws
Florida Legislature to local governments: You can't ban plastic straws
TALLAHASSEE — Local governments won’t be able to ban plastic straws for the next five years under a bill approved by the Legislature and headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The measure is the latest example of the constant tug-of-war between the Legislature and cities and counties over home rule.
Currently, 10 cities across the state have rules governing the use of plastic straws, which some say are a threat to the environment.
The House passed the bill (HB 771) last week, If DeSantis signs it, local governments would not be able to enforce any ordinance banning plastic straws until July 2024 at the earliest.
The vote Tuesday in the Republican-controlled Senate was largely along party lines.
Under the bill, the research arm of the Legislature would also be required to conduct a study of “each ordinance or regulation adopted” by local governments related to single-use plastic straws. A report of the study would need to be submitted by December to Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes.
Rather than focusing on the environmental impacts of plastic-straw bans, the study would focus on the “data and conclusions” used in adopting local ordinances.
This has irked environmental groups, which argue that sufficient evidence already exists that plastic pollution is detrimental to the environment. When lawmakers considered the proposal in committee hearings, groups often brought up a study by the World Economic Forum that said there will be more plastic by weight than fish in oceans by 2050.
State lawmakers have also taken aim at other local regulations that were enacted to protect the environment. One of those efforts is in a bill by Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine.
That bill targets local ordinances that restrict the sale and use of sunscreens containing certain chemicals that studies have found to damage coral reefs.
Orlando Sentinel
Florida Legislature to local governments: You can't ban plastic straws
TALLAHASSEE — Local governments won’t be able to ban plastic straws for the next five years under a bill approved by the Legislature and headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The measure is the latest example of the constant tug-of-war between the Legislature and cities and counties over home rule.
Currently, 10 cities across the state have rules governing the use of plastic straws, which some say are a threat to the environment.
The House passed the bill (HB 771) last week, If DeSantis signs it, local governments would not be able to enforce any ordinance banning plastic straws until July 2024 at the earliest.
The vote Tuesday in the Republican-controlled Senate was largely along party lines.
Under the bill, the research arm of the Legislature would also be required to conduct a study of “each ordinance or regulation adopted” by local governments related to single-use plastic straws. A report of the study would need to be submitted by December to Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes.
Rather than focusing on the environmental impacts of plastic-straw bans, the study would focus on the “data and conclusions” used in adopting local ordinances.
This has irked environmental groups, which argue that sufficient evidence already exists that plastic pollution is detrimental to the environment. When lawmakers considered the proposal in committee hearings, groups often brought up a study by the World Economic Forum that said there will be more plastic by weight than fish in oceans by 2050.
State lawmakers have also taken aim at other local regulations that were enacted to protect the environment. One of those efforts is in a bill by Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine.
That bill targets local ordinances that restrict the sale and use of sunscreens containing certain chemicals that studies have found to damage coral reefs.
Orlando Sentinel