Here's what you should know
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — If you plan to launch fireworks in Florida this Fourth of July, you’re in luck. There are only three days per year that you can legally launch fireworks in the Sunshine State; the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
Gov. Ron DeSantis approved the most recent fireworks rules in 2020. The law stipulates that fireworks can be legally used “solely and exclusively during a designated holiday.”
The state defines fireworks as “any combustible or explosive composition or substance or combination of substances or, except as hereinafter provided, any article prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonation.
That includes blank cartridges, toy cannons that use explosives, firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, Roman candles, dago bombs, and any fireworks containing any explosives or flammable compound.
Fireworks do not include sparklers, toy pistols, toy canes, toy guns, snake or glow worms, smoke devices, trick noisemakers, party poppers, booby traps, snappers, or trick matches. These can be used outside of the designated holiday periods.
“As we celebrate this year, let’s remember some important firework safety before you light up the night sky,” Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
Only light one firework at a time,
Never point fireworks at another person,
Have a bucket of water available to extinguish fireworks that do not go off, and
Never allow young children to handle fireworks. Even sparklers can burn nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check out our list of where to watch Fourth of July fireworks in Tampa Bay.
Source: WFLA
