Dear Editor:
New Years Eve and the Fourth of July are two very terrifying days/nights of the year. Why? Because of general citizen use of fireworks.
It used to be in this county and city that you traveled to a central location to watch a civic display of fireworks. Now, aerial fireworks are in every corner of the neighborhoods bombing all citizens — whether they want it or not.
Fireworks are extremely dangerous for both children and adults who are around them. There are many hand and eye injuries, and sometimes worse, every year as a result of the use of these volatile devices. They contribute to noise and air pollution and probably cause a level of deafness in some people, as well as being a huge fire hazard. They create stress in people and animals. The stress can cause a stroke, heart attack and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Many animals, and especially dogs and horses, are severely impacted by these explosions. It is dangerous for a human to be around an animal in full-panic mode, particularly a large animal such as a horse.
S.B. 314 may possibly be before the full senate for a vote when it convenes, and it is frightening to think of allowing 16-year-olds to buy and use fireworks as a recreational activity. This same bill states the using party will be responsible for any harm caused by their usage. The police cannot be everywhere at once. If your horse is dead as a result of fireworks, or your dog jumped through the window and injured himself, or your property is on fire, how do you find the perpetrator? The common-sense thing would be to ban the general public from using these incendiary devices. Furthermore, there will be less oversight by the state regarding the safety and quality of these imported devices, plus less fees paid to the state by the fireworks industry and the vendors themselves.
Florida Statue 791 states farmers can use some form of fireworks to scare away birds. Do they do this at night, and at 2 a.m. in the morning? So far, I have never heard of a farmer’s activity in this regard ever being a problem.
Are we only a state and nation of instant gratification and excitement — no matter the consequences to others around us? Are we the tourist state where folks come and watch us have our bombing wars? Can the revelers be out and about, while the rest of us hunker down in a cocoon state until the war is over? Or we must be about trying to soothe our poor frightened animals, putting our selves in danger.
Corlene Findley
Plant City
