2025 Legislative Session

There’s still time to STOP the Florida Senate from taking away local control of trash regulations - Tell your senator to VOTE NO ON HB 1609, the new trash bill!

In a last minute move during the final week of the Legislative Session, HB 1609: Waste Incineration was substituted for SB 1822: Waste Management and amended to include the bad plastic preemption language, meaning our attention now shifts to calling on senators to VOTE NO on HB 1609 - HB 1609 will be voted on the Senate Floor Wednesday, April 30.

Even if you have already emailed or called on SB 1822, we encourage you to reach out to your Senator again and ask them to VOTE NO on HB 1609.

Senator Martin presents this as an effort to get rid of the patchwork of local regulations because he acknowledges we need statewide regulations, but his bill does nothing to implement a statewide solution that would regulate single-use disposable items - Instead, HB 1609 would just remove more than a dozen local regulations across the state without providing another solution to regulate trash and plastic pollution.

Senator Smith even filed an amendment to SB 1822 that would have provided a statewide ordinance for single-use auxiliary containers that local governments could choose to adopt - But, the amendment was not supported by Senator Martin and failed to pass.

HB 1609 removes state parks from the preemption, allowing rules protecting Ichetucknee Springs, Weeki Wachee Springs, and Rainbow Springs to remain in place, and after more than a decade, restoring DEP's authority to regulate single-use plastics at state parks across Florida. But, it is still a very bad bill that jeopardizes Florida’s waterways.

Plastic pollution impacts Florida’s waters, harms wildlife, and contaminates our drinking water supply. HB 1609 is in direct contradiction to two state-funded studies about regulating trash and, if passed, it will result in more trash ending up in our local waterways. Our legislators need to hear from you about why this bill is dangerous for local economies, our communities and businesses, and the environment.

Be sure to personalize the email message and add your own subject line like “Vote No HB 1609”

There’s still time to STOP the Florida Senate from taking away local control of trash regulations - Tell your senator to VOTE NO ON HB 1609, the new trash bill!

In a last minute move during the final week of the Legislative Session, HB 1609: Waste Incineration was substituted for SB 1822: Waste Management and amended to include the bad plastic preemption language, meaning our attention now shifts to calling on senators to VOTE NO on HB 1609 - HB 1609 will be voted on the Senate Floor Wednesday, April 30.

Even if you have already emailed or called on SB 1822, we encourage you to reach out to your Senator again and ask them to VOTE NO on HB 1609.

Senator Martin presents this as an effort to get rid of the patchwork of local regulations because he acknowledges we need statewide regulations, but his bill does nothing to implement a statewide solution that would regulate single-use disposable items - Instead, HB 1609 would just remove more than a dozen local regulations across the state without providing another solution to regulate trash and plastic pollution.

Senator Smith even filed an amendment to SB 1822 that would have provided a statewide ordinance for single-use auxiliary containers that local governments could choose to adopt - But, the amendment was not supported by Senator Martin and failed to pass.

HB 1609 removes state parks from the preemption, allowing rules protecting Ichetucknee Springs, Weeki Wachee Springs, and Rainbow Springs to remain in place, and after more than a decade, restoring DEP's authority to regulate single-use plastics at state parks across Florida. But, it is still a very bad bill that jeopardizes Florida’s waterways.

Plastic pollution impacts Florida’s waters, harms wildlife, and contaminates our drinking water supply. HB 1609 is in direct contradiction to two state-funded studies about regulating trash and, if passed, it will result in more trash ending up in our local waterways. Our legislators need to hear from you about why this bill is dangerous for local economies, our communities and businesses, and the environment.

Be sure to personalize the email message and add your own subject line like “Vote No HB 1609”

Senators, STOP bad trash bill, HB 1609

Find your local rep

Subject:

You represent my district in the Florida legislature, and I am writing to ask that you please vote no on HB 1609: Waste Incineration on Wednesday, April 30.

HB 1609 was amended yesterday to include language from SB 1822 that preempts local governments from taking action to reduce plastic pollution in their own communities. The bill eliminates over a dozen existing plastic regulations in the State under the guise of creating a statewide solution. However, this bill does nothing to protect our rivers, oceans and local communities.

HB 1609 is in direct contradiction to two state-funded studies about regulating single-use plastics. If the legislature is not going to implement the suggestions from the studies statewide, we should at least allow local governments to decide how to regulate trash and pollution in their own communities.

Plastic and other containers pollute Florida’s rivers, lakes, and coasts. It harms marine wildlife, contaminates our drinking water, and negatively impacts the economic and recreational values of our beaches.

Taking away local regulations of plastic and other packaging is bad for Florida. I urge you to vote no on HB 1609: Waste Incineration.

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