Local activists are proposing a plastic bag ban for Jacksonville Beach.
Environmentalists are pushing lawmakers to take action, but Florida state law prevents local governments from reducing or banning plastic bags.
Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham says he’s already exploring tangible options to eliminate plastic from beaches but there’s no plan to enforce a ban yet.
“We’ve recognized that a problem exists and now we need to research the severity of the problem,” said Mayor Latham.
The mayor has reached out to local businesses like Publix to get their input in finding a solution. He also plans to engage in a campaign for visitors to have them cooperate with the initiative to keep plastic off the beach.
Local beachgoers like Bonnie Wagner say plastic bags destroy the beaches and hurt the wildlife, so she supports the ban.
“I pick up garbage on a regular basis,” she says. “There’s gonna be people that got issues but those are the people we clean up after.”