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Fireworks' Pros, Cons Aired

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By CARLOS MONCADA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 26, 2007

CLEARWATER - Requiring a consumer license to purchase fireworks and restricting their use to nonresidential areas are among the conditions a statewide task force is considering.

The Florida Consumer Fireworks Task Force, meeting Thursday in Clearwater, heard from 15 Tampa Bay area residents. Most complained that noisy fireworks celebrations by neighbors were wreaking havoc, particularly during Fourth of July and New Year's Eve.

"I think the bottom line is we want fireworks out of our neighborhoods," said Wofford Johnson, a Tampa resident and one of several speakers from Hillsborough County.

Some, such as Corlene Findlay of Plant City, spoke about neighbors' fireworks terrifying their horses.

"I may suffer a heart attack, and my horse may, too," Findlay said.

Linda Arlington of Wimauma told the panel one of her horses was so startled by a neighbor shooting off fireworks July 4 that it stampeded into a fence twice and died 10 minutes later.

Other people, though, said tighter restrictions won't snuff out public demand for fireworks and that those who use them properly should not be penalized because of a minority who behave irresponsibly.

"We are not in a perfect industry, but I don't believe there is a perfect industry out there," said Don Surenkamp, president of Patriotic Fireworks, based in Pasco County. "You don't ban cars for everyone because you have a few drunks out there. There's way more drunks driving cars right now than there are idiots using fireworks."

The task force, which will present its recommendations to the state Legislature in January, reached a consensus Thursday on prohibiting aerial fireworks such as bottle and sky rockets in neighborhoods. Each of Florida's 67 counties would designate a site, such as a ball field, where consumers could set off pyrotechnics.

"Our aim is to get them out of the neighborhoods," said Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, among the task force's eight members.

The panel also supported requiring a consumer license to purchase or use aerial fireworks, similar to acquiring a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Last year, fireworks caused 24 fires at homes and businesses, doing damage to the tune of $510,210, according to statistics from the state fire marshal's office in Tallahassee. Two people, including a firefighter, were injured in those blazes.

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.

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