FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. City Council unanimously agreed to move forward with a plan to ban plastic straws on the island at a public hearing Monday morning.
The ban will apply for island bars restaurants hotels, bars, gas stations, and visiting tourists. The fines range from $100 to $500 per straw.
The plan would allow for compostable straws, a more environmentally friendly option that completely breaks down, said Joanna Shamp, a Fort Myers Beach city council member.
“This will be a start in really attending to all the issues that relate to plastic contamination and micro plastic contamination within the Gulf of Mexico, and its impacts on not only marine life but human life as well,” Shamp said.
The next scheduled council meeting is on Sept. 7.