July 4 warning: Illegal fireworks will be confiscated
by Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter
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Illegal
Cherry bombs, M-80s, string firecrackers, Roman candles and anything that can explode such as these fireworks found at a local supermarket are illegal to set off in Manatee County without a permit. Islander Photos: Rick Catlin
Small Inset: Legal
Fireworks such as sparklers and "flower" sparks shown in the picture are the only legal devices that can be set off in Manatee County without a permit, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said last week. |
Islanders and Island visitors who have long looked to the July 4 holiday to shoot off fireworks on Anna Maria Island beaches should think twice this year before setting off any such devices.
Fireworks are illegal in Manatee County and people on the Island who fire off their illegal pyrotechnics will have them confiscated by law enforcement officers and receive a warning that a future violation could result in a fine and arrest.
That’s the word from the Island Fireworks Task Force, which held a news conference June 26, emphasizing the confiscation policy and alerting the public that law enforcement officers from four agencies will be on the Island and Longboat Key “in force” starting July 3.
After confiscation, a repeat offender could be given a citation for $500 and could face up to a year in jail.
Anna Maria Mayor Fran Barford organized the task force last fall after a serious injury in Anna Maria during last year’s July 4 celebration. She said the concern for the “health, safety and welfare” of the public takes precedent over the tradition of individual fireworks displays.
And a recent Manatee County ordinance makes those fireworks illegal to set off anywhere in the county without a permit. Only sparklers and “flower” tubes that display sparks are legal for personal use.
“We have to make this a safe holiday for everyone,” Barford said. “The health, safety and welfare of our visitors and residents will be protected.”
Agreed, said Sgt. John Kenney, the officer in charge of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office substation in Anna Maria.
“The problem has gotten out of hand. We’ve been lucky since I’ve been here, but there are thousands and thousands of people setting off fireworks that weekend and it has become totally uncontrollable,” he said.
In fact, said Kenney, the private displays often cost more than the fireworks programs that restaurant owner Ed Chiles has held at the Sandbar and BeachHouse restaurants every July 3-4. This year, Chiles will have a fireworks show on July 3, but only at the BeachHouse.
But police on the Island will be on patrol all weekend, Kenney said.
Law enforcement officers from Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Longboat Key and the MCSO will be patrolling streets and beaches on the Island, possibly in unmarked vehicles.
Kenney declined to say how many officers would be involved, or what strategies will be used to identify illegal users, but he stressed several times that officers will be here “in force.”
“Our purpose is to educate and confiscate, not arrest,” said MCSO spokesperson Dave Bristow. However, he added, a repeat offender would be issued a citation and arrested.
“If we take someone’s fireworks and give them a warning and 30 minutes later find them setting off more, I think we’re going to arrest that person,” he said.
“But we are going to try and manage it first. We are going to enforce the law with a show of manpower,” Bristow added. If the confiscation policy works and illegal fireworks displays are halted, it’s possible the Sandbar fireworks show could return next year, he said.
Aside from the potential for serious injury from illegal fireworks, traffic is a major issue the July holiday with as many as 15,000 people coming to Anna Maria Island from the mainland, Bristow estimated.
When the man was injured last July 4 in Anna Maria, it took emergency personnel and an ambulance nearly an hour to reach him because of the traffic, said Bristow.
In his observation, many of the offenders are from other areas, such as Hillsborough or Polk counties. It’s become a tradition to come to Anna Maria Island with a huge supply of fireworks that were purchased in Alabama or Tennessee and set off a private display. That’s a tradition that has to end, Bristow indicated.
The MCSO’s bomb squad will be at the Holmes Beach City Hall July 3-4 to receive and eventually dispose of the fireworks collected by law enforcement.
The task force is composed of the MCSO and the police departments of all three Island cities, the respective mayors, the Manatee County Office of Public Safety and the West Manatee Fire Rescue District.
For more information on the county fireworks ordinance and the confiscation policy, Internet users can go to www.wmfr.org/fireworks.
BeachHouse marks 15 years of fireworks
The BeachHouse Restaurant will host its annual fireworks display and party July 3.
The restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach, has hosted fireworks for 15 years.
The general public can see the show from locations along the Gulf of Mexico and restaurant patrons can see the fireworks from VIP seats.
VIP passes for the holiday event will include dinner, a beer and wine bar, desserts, entertainment, party favors, valet parking and a seat for the big bangs put on by Bell Fireworks from a barge in the Gulf.
The restaurant party will begin at 7 p.m. and the fireworks, weather permitting, after 9 p.m.
For more information, call the restaurant at 941-778-8718. |
