Mapping Florida's Plastic Crisis

This blog post was written by Claire Nelson, a 2026 Marine Plastics Ambassador. 

Living in Florida, my favorite thing to do is walk along the beach shore. Living next to Stuart Beach, I see the direct impact that plastic litter has on the ocean. That is why my policy campaign aims to repeal Florida’s single-use plastic bag and auxiliary container preemption law. My goal is to provide a voice for Florida municipalities who want more restrictive plastic policies, which are currently limited under the Florida Statute 403.7033 ruling. If plastic materials and waste are more strictly regulated, then marine and human health will benefit as a result. Less plastic will enter marine environments, wildlife will be protected from consuming plastic, and microplastics pose a smaller risk to the entire food chain, including humans.

To begin my campaign, I created a map highlighting Florida municipalities that have enacted partial plastic regulations. Based on available municipal ordinance research, I found that approximately 51 out of Florida's 411 municipalities have enacted independent, formal, enforceable, and direct partial plastic regulations, restrictions, or bans permitted under Florida’s plastic preemption law. Despite municipalities wanting and waiting to enact stronger plastic regulations, they are unable to do so. So, after identifying the issue, I created Mapping Florida’s Plastic Crisis map, putting this data into a visual for clearer understanding. Then, I created an online public petition to gain support in the form of signatures. Next, I created a flyer combining my map, petition QR code, and background information about the preemption law. I have been promoting this flyer across Florida through both online and in-person avenues, spreading the word. 

I successfully shared my flyer with friends, family, public libraries, local businesses, coffee shops, and environmental organizations. Through connecting with Florida Oceanographic Society, Indian River State College Chastain Campus library, Ohana Surf Shop, Facebook groups such as Floridians for Our Environment, and various other avenues, I successfully expanded my outreach to gain public support.

Through public outreach, my petition has gained over 320 signatures. I also engaged over 1,032 people through in-person and online avenues. To gain more traction, I decided to collaborate with another Marine Plastic Ambassador, Keira Blakey, who is targeting the same preemption law as me. Together, we collected over 600 signatures on our petitions. We also received signatures from 4 organizations signing a letter of support for our campaign.

The public engagement Keira and I received has been extremely encouraging. At the beginning of this program, I was nervous about the extent of public engagement I could gather, and logistically how I would convince people to care about Florida’s plastic consumption and production. Despite my worries, Florida proved to me that they do care! This allowed me to be motivated in my progress and continue the campaign confidently.

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While serving as an EarthEcho Marine Plastics Ambassador, I truly learned so much. I learned what grassroots activism looks like, how to respectfully and strategically engage with policymakers, how to collaborate well with like-minded people, and how environmental policy is created and implemented across America. This is a once in a lifetime learning opportunity that I will carry with me as I grow in my education and throughout my career. EarthEcho focuses on empowering young people to act, teaching them the necessary tools to effectively do so, and providing opportunities for people like me to achieve change. Through hard work and determination, EarthEcho was successfully able to reach their goals, and I was able to reach mine!

One of the goals I accomplished throughout this program was performing outreach to promote my flyer. As a result of communicating with local stores, environmental organizations, and online, it strengthened my advocacy and communication skills significantly. By requesting permission to post my flyer, it required me to explain my campaign, communicate the serious risk that plastic pollution holds, and work with librarians, business owners, and organization staff. These conversations have been some of the most rewarding and empowering parts of my campaign.

Similarly, serving as a Marine Plastic Ambassador has taught me that systemic, lasting, and authentic change does not happen overnight. I have worked very hard and reached many of my goals; however, there is still significant work to be done. Although more people are educated regarding the topic of Florida’s plastic crisis, political change is still needed. That is why my fellow Marine Plastic Ambassador, Keira, and I will be turning over our work to the Plastic Free Florida Coalition. This partnership will allow us to continue to work on our campaign and gain greater resources to help repeal the preemption law. 

My hope is that as our petition signatures continue to grow, there will be a greater demand for repealing Florida’s plastic and auxiliary container preemption law. I am eager to continue to engage with Florida policymakers and not give up the fight for cleaner oceans! To stay involved, please consider signing my petition and supporting the Plastic Free Florida Coalition’s efforts.

Learn more about the EarthEcho Marine Plastics Ambassadors at https://www.earthecho.org/plastics-ambassadors.