Gov. DeSantis upholds Florida’s local plastic bans
Local single-use plastic bans across Florida were at risk of being rendered useless, until Gov. Ron DeSantis came down on the side of reducing plastic waste.
Local single-use plastic bans across Florida were at risk of being rendered useless, until Gov. Ron DeSantis came down on the side of reducing plastic waste.
On May 10, Gov. DeSantis issued his first veto, rejecting legislation that would have prohibited local governments from banning plastic straws for the next five years. The bill also would have undone pre-existing local ordinances or regulations relating to single-use plastic straws. Ironically, the original version of the bill called for a statewide by-request-only straw policy. But lawmakers amended it to call for a five-year study of all local regulations on plastic straws, pausing all local bans and prohibiting potential new ones. Instead of reducing the use of plastic straws, the bill would have increased plastic pollution.
“Nothing we use for a few minutes should pollute our planet for hundreds of years,” said Alex Truelove, director of our national Zero Waste campaign. “We’re pleased that Gov. DeSantis decided to support Florida communities’ decisions to reduce single-use plastic straw pollution.
Photo: The bill would have prevented local governments from banning plastic straws for five years, and undone any local pre-existing bans on single-use plastics. Photo Credit: Helen89 via Shutterstock
