St. Pete City Council commits to not 'going backwards' on plastic straw ban
The Brief
A St. Pete city council member introduced an agenda item to look at lifting an ordinance that banned single-use plastic straws back in 2018.
He cited concerns over the legality of the ordinance following President Trump's executive order that ended the "forced use of paper straws."
The issue brought dozens of St. Pete residents to city hall, none of whom were in favor of changing the city's ban.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Many in the St. Petersburg community thought the paper vs. plastic straw debate ended in 2018, because that's when the city passed an ordinance banning single-use plastic straws. However, the issue reignited on Thursday during a council meeting.
St. Pete Council Member Corey Givens Jr. introduced an agenda item to look at lifting that ban. He cited concerns with the legality of it, following President Donald Trump's executive order ending the "forced use of paper straws."
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Local perspective
The issue brought dozens of St. Pete residents back to city hall. None of them were in favor of changing the city's ban.
They all spoke in favor of what the city did seven years ago, and many characterized relitigating the issue as a "waste of time."
"This is on the right side of how we need to take better care of this earth," said one neighbor.
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Others pointed to the positive impact it has had on the business community and how non-plastic straw technology has evolved. They voiced concerns about a healthy and clean environment, sustainability and the threats microplastics pose to marine life and humans alike.
"In the seven years that have passed, microplastics have become more of a public health crisis in Tampa Bay, we know that trillions of microplastics exist in the environment- working their way up the food chain," said one speaker.
The other side
During some tense exchanges between council members, Givens spoke about his intentions on the ordinance.
"It's pointless to have an ordinance that infringes on individual rights and civil liberties without having the conversation with the entire community," he said.
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Attorneys for the city said that, legally, the president's executive order against the "forced use of paper straws" has no impact on the city's ordinance.
"It speaks to federal use for procurement practices," an attorney for the city explained.
Dig deeper
Several local environmental groups have tacked the impact they've seen since the ban, with a 700% reduction in plastic straws removed from local waterways.
No one on council supported revisiting the ban on plastic straws.
"I am not willing to go backwards. This is a policy that needs to stay on our books," said St. Pete Council Member Brandi Gabbard.
In 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis left the use of plastic straws up to local governments, by vetoing a bill that sought to take that right from local municipalities.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered during a St. Pete city council meeting.
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