Florida has yet to ban single use plastic bags throughout the state. Coral Gables put an ordinance on styrofoam and single use plastic bags. Soon after the Florida Retail Federation (FRF) sued Coral Gables over the matter on the grounds that the city’s plastic ban was unconstitutional due to a 2008 law that prohibits the “regulation of the use of sale of polystyrene products by local governments.” The Third District Court of Appeals sided with the Florida Retail Federation after a three-year legal battle.

The FRF is a pro-business lobbying group that represents Walmart, Publix, Target, and other retail giants you may know. This lobbying group is putting the welfare of our people, habitats and marine life at risk for their own personal gain. We shouldn't allow a lobbying group to dictate the welfare of our people nor state. For this reason we need to ban together. Breach The Surface is proposing a BAN THE BAG bill with other like-minded organizations to eliminate single use plastic pollution in the state of Florida.

Plastic Pollution is an environmental, humanitarian and economical issue. Florida, Texas and California benefit from tourism more than any other states in the nation. It's in the best interest of those who live and implement policy in Florida to ban single use plastic bags. States such as California, New York, Texas, Maine, Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington and even more countries- have banned single use plastic bags state or city wide.

The "sunshine state" has done neither. If a land-locked state can justify the benefits of eliminating single use plastic bags then Florida is no exception.

Please share your love for Florida by taking a couple of minutes to sign our petition. :)