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Bill To Legalize Fireworks, Keep Money In Florida Set For Hearing
December 28, 2013
House and Senate committees will start 2014 with a bang. The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee and the House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee are scheduled Jan. 8 to take up bills that would lift a fireworks ban in Florida. Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, are sponsoring the measures.
“We’re pushing economic activity out of our state with a regulation that’s relatively meaningless because people get fireworks elsewhere and just bring them down and shoot them off here,” Gaetz said after filing his bill. “We’d rather keep those dollars in Florida.”
State law limits sales to relatively innocuous devices such as sparklers, while banning sales of such things as bottle rockets. But a loophole also has allowed the sale of fireworks to people who sign a statement saying they have an exemption to the law.
Gaetz said the idea for the bill came from a Marianna High School student, who said it was silly for people to cross state lines to buy fireworks and then bring them back to Florida.
By The News Service of Florida
Pictured: A Flomaton, Ala., fireworks stand, just north of the Florida/Alabama state line. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Bill To Legalize Fireworks, Keep Money In Florida Set For Hearing”
First of all not everyone that uses fireworks are uneducated. Allot of people enjoy them. I keep mortars in my ruck sack in case of emergency. The ability to purchase or use fireworks should not be any different then purchasing a gun of which I have for many reasons. There are idiots everywhere we as Americans should stop trying to protect them and let survival of the fittest do it’s job.
FYI, Rufus:
The Florida CCW regs specifically state that, among other restrictions, (790.06 (12)(a) 12) A license issued under this section does not authorize any person to openly carry a handgun or carry a concealed weapon or firearm into…Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose;…”
How does getting drunk in bars have anything to do with either fireworks or firerms, other than drunks have been known to do stupid things with both?
I’ve lived in quite a few places where fireworks were legal. But I haven’t seen masses of children with mangled hands, homes ablaze or cats and dogs living together in anarchy. Just one more good thing for the govt to leave alone and let people decide for themselves.
Yeah Rufus, but do you shoot off your at-15 in front of your your neighbors house??
Does anyone else find it ironic that you can go out and buy an AR-15, a Glock, or a good old Colt 1911 .45 with no trouble at all. YouI can even carry it concealed into a bars and and get drunker than Cooter Brown, but you can’t buy a cherry bomb, a bottle rocket, or a firecracker?
1 Fireworks are a complete waste of money. “Just watch your dollars go up in smoke”
2. They’re dangerous
3. People that discharge fireworks are typically uneducated and irresponsible who just want to draw attention to themselves 2 times a year.
Take it from New York State: outright Ban
Make them legal. Its like marijuana, the people that choose to do it, do it anyway.
People will continue to launch their own fireworks, just as they have during the ban.
If you don’t like them, sit in your house and watch TV while the rest of us celebrate, or go to a public fireworks display.
Ban on fireworks? There’s no enforcement! Fireworks are illegal, and should be done away with, Period!!!!!
well once again i am waiting on word ..cause we will open many new stores in florida….
@blues ! Thats why China owns us and yet lawmakers keep making laws that send more and more jobs overseas.
As long as they make it legal for dogs to bite the person firing the fire works, maybe it would be ok?
Then again, I have hearing damage from being in the infantry and I find loud percussion noises to be somewhat painfully annoying.
It will create jobs though. With more hearing damage or fingers getting blown off that will create jobs in many different areas of health care and the fires started by more dangerous fire works could help both the construction and mortuary industries.
Paul, everthing is made in China!!!!!!!!
I agree with Robert S. We need real jobs here, not just something seasonal like fireworks. Our lawmakers need to rethink their priorities. If they can’t make the right decisions, we, as voters, need to vote people in place that can.
I assume they were outlawed for a reason. Does the reason not apply anymore?
Yes…that’s what we need “MORE” fireworks than we all ready have. (laughing sarcastically)
We almost had our house set on fire by a neighbor that went across the line and bought sky bursting rockets. The flames from the burst landed on our roof and luckily we had a hose near by and was able to put the flames out.
It’s hard enough to make people understand what’s dangerous, leave it to the professionals to put on the shows!
I don’t buy fireworks because I don’t like to send my money to china just to watch it blow up.. It’s just wrong in so many ways..
And this will offset all the money lost to the gambling in Atmore and Biloxi I guess? (insert sarcastic tone here)
Hey, if Florida allows fireworks that include skyrockets it’s going to take all the fun out of “smuggling” them across the state line with the kids and grandkids. This would be another long-time family tradition shot down by big government.
If these lawmakers are so concerned about keeping money in the state why don’t they encourage more manufacturing and long term industrial type work for people who need help? Pensacola’s mayor and the county commissioners seem to be more interested in taking jaunts to other states and countries to get ideas then come back feeling good about potential jobs in several years or ones that are “ghost” promises. Voters need to light the fuse at election time and launch some of our representatives to the moon.