Pinellas beach towns working to keep personal fireworks away this July 4
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - Last year’s Fourth of July fireworks show in Treasure Island was almost overshadowed by amateurs setting off fireworks on the beach.
"The explosions and the fireworks were literally raining down on our heads and whizzing by," Carrie Auerbach, a volunteer with Treasure Island Adopt a Beach, said. "It was dangerous."
City officials in Treasure Island don’t want it to happen again.
READ: Treasure Island considers ban personal firework use on beaches, city parks
"We're noticing as the state relaxed the laws on fireworks, it's been a problem that hasn't happened a lot, but it's been getting larger over the years," Police Chief John Barkley said. "It makes it really easy for people to buy these fireworks," he said.
State law lets people over 18 set off fireworks on the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. It blocks municipalities from creating any new ordinance that bans personal firework use on those days.
"When you have untrained people coming out with two and three inch mortar shells blowing them up on the beach close to people with their blankets, it's our job as public safety officers to recognize what are dangerous situations," Chief Barkley said.
"It really wasn't necessary in the past because the problem wasn't as prevalent it is now. Now, we're recognizing, ‘hey, this is getting bigger and bigger, and it’s more and more of an issue every year now, and we have to do something about it. That's enough.’ So, we went back. We weren't allowed to pass a separate ordinance for it. So, we just did legal research into our existing ordinances and there's several of them that apply for this," Chief Barkley said.
Barkley said they’re going to enforce existing ordinances that personal firework use falls under. Those include bans on open flames on the beach, leaving obstructions on the beach and artificial light that isn’t sea turtle friendly.
Barkley said while they’ve been lucky with physical firework accidents, they respond to calls about sea oats catching fire and fires in trashcans every year.
"The remnants left behind are poison. They'll get into the sea dunes. They've started sea dune fires. Birds will eat that. It's poison to them. The turtles are here, and it disrupts the noise. The lights disrupts the nests. Mama sea turtles will not lay eggs. If they're disrupted, they'll go back into the Gulf," Auerbach said.
Barkley said there’s also a 600-foot ring of safety around the professionals setting off the fireworks that is enforced by the police department.
"If they have a misfire or something goes wrong, people aren't injured. So, that's a huge difference between personal fireworks and a professional firework show," he said.
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Violating Treasure Island’s ordinances comes with fines close to $100.
"Our objective is to educate people. We’re going to do our best to make sure they don't even bring it out of their cars," Barkley said.
Treasure Island Adopt a Beach is partnering with the police and fire departments to start a beach ambassador program. Volunteers will educate people about the ordinances and let them know that fireworks aren’t allowed.
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Belleair Beach and Clearwater have existing ordinances that ban personal fireworks on the beach. They still get several calls, a spokesperson for Clearwater’s fire and police departments said, about illegal fireworks landing on a roof and triggering house fires.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office enforces firework-related ordinances in several beach towns. It urges people to leave the fireworks to the pros, so their resources can be better utilized around the county.
In most beach communities, you can apply for a permit to set off fireworks.
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