2 face felony charges over balloon air pollution in Biscayne Bay; may face time in prison

MIAMI – A 26-year-old lady and a 29-year-old man are facing prison expenses over the disposal of balloons into Biscayne Bay after these had been used to embellish a yacht during a marriage proposal.

A witness shared a video on Instagram and environmentalists were outraged. Marine animals usually mistake the nonbiodegradable deflated balloons for jellyfish. Turtles eat it. Seabirds feed it to their younger.

Miami-Dade police officers additionally issued civil citations with more than $23,000 in fines for the illegal dumping at the Bayshore Touchdown Marina in Coconut Grove. This has been a more painful studying expertise for Martina Gaspoz and David Torres-Bocanegra who had been both working.

Officers arrested Gaspoz on Friday and Torres-Bocanegra on Wednesday. They are dealing with costs of willful disregard for the atmosphere, a third-degree felony punishable with a fine of up to $50,000 or imprisonment for five years, or both. Her bond was $5,000.

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Officers arrested Torres-Bocanegra for reckless disregard for the surroundings, a second-degree misdemeanor punishable with a positive of up to $10,000 or 60 days in jail, or both. His bond was $500. Detective Angel Rodriguez later clarified there was a mistake with the charge.

Detectives did not think about the couple who received engaged on Tuesday to be the culprits. Instead, officers issued citations to the 2 corporations — the occasion planner and the yacht charter — that the future groom hired.

Also, not everybody who received a $2,510 quotation actually touched the balloons or was present for the celebration.

Dessideria D’Caro De Capriles, of Doral, is the owner of the constitution yacht. Gabriela Castillo was the event coordinator. Francisco Feo was the individual in command of the constitution company. Officers also cited Tulio Capriles, Iulia Tyshchenko, Viacheslav Diadiura, and Efrain Hernandez.

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Environmental advocates need Miami-Dade officers to do extra.

The Florida Ocean CleanUp Society, a nonprofit organization, set up a Change.org petition asking Miami-Dade’s Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the chief bay officer, and commissioners to pilot a new ordinance banning balloons and confetti in coastal waters.

“Banning balloons and confetti isn’t going to resolve the pollution drawback. However, we consider it’s important and necessary to spark a cultural shift,” the petitioner wrote adding, “We beg the Miami-Dade county to pass laws to protect our ecosystem and enhance environmental awareness among boaters and the constitution industry.”

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For more tales about protecting Biscayne Bay, go to the Don’t Trash Our Treasure web page. Native 10 News Environmental Advocate Louis Aguirre leads the crew.

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Don’t Trash Our Treasure: 6 p.m., Could 11

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