Detectives with the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Illegal Dumping Unit are taking the lead in a multi-agency investigation after video surfaced this week of a boat crew popping balloons while on the vessel, authorities confirmed to Local 10 News on Wednesday.
Highlights
- A witness said he recorded the men on Tuesday afternoon at the Bayshore Landing Marina in Miami’s Coconut Grove and shared the video on Instagram.
- The latex, mylar, or vinyl waste floats on the surface of the water.
- Turtles, seabirds, and other marine animals mistake them for jellyfish and eat them — or feed them to their young.
- Environmentalists have a request for boaters in South Florida: Don’t tie up balloons on your boat.
- These will harm wildlife.
- The behavior is unlawful in Florida.