ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. – The push to ban plastic straws has been gaining momentum, but a new bill on Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk may keep local governments from enforcing the ban.
The latest development has once again sparked debate over plastic versus biodegradable straws and other utensils.
In News4Jax's informal Twitter poll, most people said they "didn't care," while some 40% of voters said they'd prefer biodegradable straws.
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But less than 48 hours later, state legislators voted for a measure that would keep county, city and town governments across the state from enforcing "plastic-free" measures. On Monday, St. Augustine Beach city commissioners passed a resolution discouraging businesses and residents from using plastic straws, stirrers and similar plastic items as part of a larger environmental effort to go "plastic-free."
"We actually have some debates that have gone on here at the bar area, with people saying, 'I like my plastic,'" said Paul Moody, a St. Augustine Beach restaurant owner.
Moody owns Back 40 restaurant off U.S. Highway A1A and despite differing messages from the government and a few customers, he's committed to staying plastic-free.
"We have about 6 million tourists a year that come into this market and it seems to me like you'd want to set a high level of expectation, cleanliness," Moody said.
He's leading by example. Moody has not only stopped using plastic straws, but he's also transitioned to all biodegradable utensils made of fermented corn starch.
While preferences and policies for plastic may still exist, Moody said Back 40 doubled its sales last month.
"As people had started discovering that we had gone eco-friendly at this location, our business has boomed," Moody said.
The only thing the bill lacks is a signature by DeSantis. If he signs it, local governments will no longer be able to enforce a ban on plastic straws at least for the next five years.