Once again, little old Stuart could be embarking on either being a trailblazing community or a foe of the City’s businesses.
The Commission on Monday Aug. 12th will discuss doing away with the use of plastic straws and polystyrene, starting with the properties the City owns. As an example of the impact, there would be no more plastic “clamshells” for your food at festivals in parks. If extended to the entire city, when you go out to eat you won’t be taking your “doggy bag” home in anything but a tin foil wrap in a paper sack.
Is outlawing these things a good thing to do? Sure, it is and should be supported.
It should be supported if the entire nation banned the products at the federal level as that would really make a difference to our environment. A bill has already been filed for next year’s session of the Florida legislature concerning this. If passed, it would be a ban in the third most populous state in the union, making us a national trend setter.
The County may have an interest in banning certain items. If Martin County did so, then Stuart could have a “Me Too” ordinance. The result would ensure that within the 550 square miles of dry land within Martin County’s boundaries there would be unanimity on this. All our residents, and more importantly businesses, would have the same regulations. The way this proposed City plan is currently shaping up, Stuart’s many businesses would pay the price…especially “Mom and Pop” shops.
Stuart has over 300 permitted events a year. If an ordinance is passed, the organizers and the vendors will have to do something special and change their business model to be here. I guess the “plastics” police will be out in force giving citations. This is big government gone amuck. Where is the cost-benefit analysis?
It is easy for Commissioners to impose their non-business judgment for that of Stuart’s tax-paying businesses. If a total ban is passed, then the lawsuits from McDonald’s will not be far behind. The litigation would be paid for by the City’s taxpayers. Now, given the new state law passed last legislative session, perhaps the City will also pay for the prevailing party’s legal bill.
Because you can, doesn’t mean you must. That is the motto of good government. This Commission needs to take a deep breath and not burden the City’s businesses to prove a point. If Stuart were Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, or Orlando, a ban could have an effect. Environmentally, such a ban for city-owned properties in Stuart will have virtually none.
Laws should not be passed so that we feel good. They are to be imposed for a purpose. If tomorrow you ban all plastics in the City of Stuart, that would not remove them from the Walgreens or Publix or Wawas outside of the City’s limit. Walgreens and Publix could even sue the City in Federal Court under the commerce clause.
If you want to do something that will impact the environment, the place to start is commercial recycling within the City which could be phased in over 3 to 5 years. Many residents do not even realize that commercial businesses (including restaurants and bars) do not currently recycle. If required, the bottles and cans going into recycling would save the commercial businesses tipping fees at the landfill. This would make a huge difference and end up being much more environmentally friendly.
Unless we ban straws, plastic bags, polystyrene or anything else on a national level, state level or, at a minimum, throughout Martin County, we are not doing anything more than making ourselves feel good. Let’s look at commercial recycling, or better yet, a regional burn facility to incinerate these products. This is doing something that will have an impact.