Plastic Straw Ban Survives

At least 11 Florida cities which had banned single-use plastic straws, including Key Biscayne, can continue to enforce their local laws after a surprise veto cast by Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday.

The Florida Legislature had passed a moratorium that would have blocked local governments from passing or enforcing bans on plastic straws. The vote was largely on party lines, with Republicans supporting the bill and Democrats opposed to it. In a bit of foreshadowing, DeSantis had responded “stay tuned” when asked if he would sign the bill during a visit to Virginia Key earlier this week to tout his environmental agenda.

The veto, DeSantis’ first, was an explicit rejection of his party’s legislative leadership, not just on a piece of environmental regulation, but on the wider subject of home rule preemption. Many localities have complained, for years, that the Legislature is reducing the ability of local officials to pass laws they feel best serve their communities.

“I’m really happy about the plastic straws, but home rule is important,” said Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey.

In his veto message, DeSantis said ordinances like Key Biscayne’s have not “frustrated any state policy or harmed the state’s interests.” In fact, he said, state environmental regulators have encouraged Floridians to reduce plastic straw use.

He continued: “The State should simply allow local communities to address this issue through the political process. People who oppose plastic straw ordinances can seek recourse by electing people who share their views.”

According to the Ocean Conservancy, plastic has been found in more than 60 percent of all seabirds and 100 percent of sea turtle species, with 8 million metric tons entering the oceans each year.