MIAMI – There were balloons. A performer on stilts shot a smoke cannon. Another performer was twirling fire batons. It was all part of a couple’s wedding anniversary overlooking Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami.
A video shows dozens of balloons that were released at Bayfront Park during the celebration, quickly turning into pollution on the ground and on the water. It is illegal to release more than 10 balloons in one day.
Sophie Ringel, the executive director of Clean Miami Beach, an environmental nonprofit organization, had just spent time with volunteers collecting over 1,000 pounds of trash from the park that week.
“I just could not understand it, especially after all of the work we do. I understand not everybody knows everything, but there’s also common sense that this is littering,” Ringel said.
According to the Miami Police Department, there is an ongoing investigation. And while a representative of the Bayfront Park Trust believed all of the balloons had been cleaned up, marine patrol officers found eight more balloons in the water.
The couple said they were not from the area and they were unaware that it was illegal, but had plans to contribute to Clean Miami Beach in an effort to make amends.
Ringel said the owner of the production company had a similar response.
“He explained to me that they are very, very sorry, that they simply did not know about the regulations and about the laws and about the negative impact it has on our environment,” Ringel said.