Teens charged with felonies for dumping rubbish into Florida ocean
Image courtesy of Wavy Boats/YouTube
Two teenagers have been charged with felonies after a video went viral showing a group of people pouring barrels of rubbish into the ocean during Florida’s Boca Bash event on 28 April.
The two male teens reportedly turned themselves into authorities around a week after the video went viral. The Miami Herald reports they are 15 and 16 years old and are from Palm Beach County, around 90 minutes outside of Miami.
The teens have been arrested on third-degree felony charges for causing pollution “so as to harm or injure human health or welfare, animal, plant or aquatic life or property,” according to their arrest reports, which the Herald obtained through a public record request. This charge comes with a fine of up to $50,000 or up to five years in jail, or both.
Florida‘s annual Boca Bash attracts up to 10,000 people who take to the sea for the infamously boozy event.
The video showed the group, who had been attending the event, dumping rubbish, including plastic water bottles, cans, and plastic cups, overboard and seemingly cheering their actions. The alleged crime took place just offshore of Boca Raton.
According to federal law, boaters are not permitted to dispose of rubbish from a boat while in rivers, lakes, bays, sounds or offshore within three miles of shore.
One outraged commenter on Instagram said: “Money can buy boats, but definitely not class. Absolutely disgusting,” while another added: “This should at minimum be a $10,000 fine.”
Dumping rubbish at sea? None as bad as those of cruise liner we saw which dumped plastic bags full of rubbish off Grand Bahama some years ago now. At least 100 of them.
Who is to know that doesn’t happen still. At least your picture shows what looks like food waste among the rubbish.
Why are you comparing what these teenagers did to a cruise liner? What makes one worst than the other? They are both damaging marine life. Perhaps you don’t think that marine life is important or that it matters? But for the rest of us who do, one does not cancel the other!