(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Florida Litter Law.”
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section:
(a) “Aircraft” means a motor vehicle or other vehicle that is used or designed to fly but does not include a parachute or any other device used primarily as safety equipment.
(b) “Commercial purpose” means for the purpose of economic gain.
(c) “Commercial vehicle” means a vehicle that is owned or used by a business, corporation, association, partnership, or sole proprietorship or any other entity conducting business for a commercial purpose.
(d) “Dump” means to dump, throw, discard, place, deposit, drain, discharge, or dispose of. The term includes, with respect to balloons, to intentionally release, organize the release of, or intentionally cause to be released.
(e) “Law enforcement officer” means any officer of the Florida Highway Patrol, a county sheriff’s department, a municipal law enforcement department, a law enforcement department of any other political subdivision, the Department of Environmental Protection, or the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In addition, and solely for the purposes of this section, “law enforcement officer” means any employee of a county or municipal park or recreation department designated by the department head as a litter enforcement officer.
(f) “Litter” means any personal property; garbage; rubbish; trash; refuse; can; bottle; box; container; paper; balloon; tobacco product; pharmaceutical of any kind; tire; household item; shed; appliance; mechanical equipment or part; building or construction material; tool; machinery; wood; motor vehicle or motor vehicle part, including a truck, trailer, or motor home; vessel; aircraft; farm machinery or equipment; sludge from a waste treatment facility, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility; or substance in any form resulting from domestic, industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural, or governmental operations, but excluding permitted, regulated, or authorized drainage, pumping, or runoff of surface water or stormwater.
(g) “Motor vehicle” means an automobile, motorcycle, truck, trailer, semitrailer, truck tractor, or semitrailer combination or any other vehicle that is powered by a motor.
(h) “Person” means any individual, firm, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or unincorporated association.
(i) “Vessel” means a boat, barge, or airboat or any other vehicle used for transportation on water.
(j) “Water control district” means a water control district that exists pursuant to chapter 298 or was created by special act of the Legislature.
(3) RESPONSIBILITY OF LOCAL GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY.—The local governing body of a county or a municipality shall determine the training and qualifications of any employee of the county or municipality or any employee of the county or municipal park or recreation department designated to enforce the provisions of this section if the designated employee is not a regular law enforcement officer.
(4) DUMPING LITTER PROHIBITED.—Unless otherwise authorized by law or permit, it is unlawful for any person to dump litter in any manner or amount in or on any of the following areas:
(a) Any public highway, road, street, alley, or thoroughfare, including any portion of the right-of-way thereof, or any other public lands, except in containers or areas lawfully provided therefor. When any litter is thrown or discarded from a motor vehicle, the operator or owner of the motor vehicle, or both, are in violation of this section.
(b) Any freshwater lake, river, canal, or stream or tidal or coastal water of the state, including canals. When any litter is thrown or discarded from a boat, the operator or owner of the boat, or both, are in violation of this section.
(c) Any water control district property or canal right-of-way, unless the district board of directors or the district manager or his or her designee has given prior consent. When any litter is thrown or discarded from a boat, the operator or owner of the boat, or both, are in violation of this section.
(d) Any private property, unless the owner has given prior consent and unless the dumping of such litter by such person will not cause a public nuisance or otherwise be in violation of any other state or local law, rule, or regulation.
(5) DUMPING RAW HUMAN WASTE PROHIBITED.—Unless otherwise authorized by law or permit, it is unlawful for any person to dump raw human waste from any train, aircraft, motor vehicle, or vessel upon the public or private lands or waters of the state.
(6) PENALTIES; ENFORCEMENT.—
(a)1. Except as provided in subparagraphs 2. and 3., any person who dumps litter in violation of subsection (4) in an amount not exceeding 15 pounds in weight or 27 cubic feet in volume and not for commercial purposes commits a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a civil penalty of $150, from which $50 shall be deposited into the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund to be used for the solid waste management grant program pursuant to s. 403.7095.
2.a. If a person violates subparagraph 1. by intentionally dumping litter onto private property for the purpose of intimidating or threatening the owner, resident, or invitee of such property, the person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
b. If a person violates subparagraph 1. by intentionally dumping litter onto private property for the purpose of intimidating the owner, resident, or invitee of such property and such litter contains a credible threat, the person commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “credible threat” has the same meaning as in s. 784.048(1).
c. If the penalty for a violation of this subparagraph is reclassified under s. 775.085, such a violation is considered a hate crime for purposes of the reporting requirements of s. 877.19.
3. A person who is 6 years of age or younger who intentionally releases, organizes the release of, or intentionally causes to be released balloons as prohibited by s. 379.233 does not violate subsection (4) and is not subject to the penalties specified in subparagraph 1.
In addition, the court may require a person who violates this subsection to pick up litter or perform other labor commensurate with the offense committed.
(b) Any person who dumps litter in violation of subsection (4) in an amount exceeding 15 pounds in weight or 27 cubic feet in volume, but not exceeding 500 pounds in weight or 100 cubic feet in volume and not for commercial purposes is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. In addition, the court shall require the violator to pick up litter or perform other community service commensurate with the offense committed. Further, if the violation involves the use of a motor vehicle, upon a finding of guilt, whether or not adjudication is withheld or whether imposition of sentence is withheld, deferred, or suspended, the court shall forward a record of the finding to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which shall record a penalty of three points on the violator’s driver license pursuant to the point system established by s. 322.27.
(c) Any person who dumps litter in violation of subsection (4) in an amount exceeding 500 pounds in weight or 100 cubic feet in volume or in any quantity for commercial purposes, or dumps litter which is a hazardous waste as defined in s. 403.703, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. In addition, the court may order the violator to:
1. Remove or render harmless the litter that he or she dumped in violation of this section;
2. Repair or restore property damaged by, or pay damages for any damage arising out of, his or her dumping litter in violation of this section; or
3. Perform public service relating to the removal of litter dumped in violation of this section or to the restoration of an area polluted by litter dumped in violation of this section.
(d) A court may enjoin a violation of this section.
(e) A motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft, container, crane, winch, or machine used to dump litter that exceeds 500 pounds in weight or 100 cubic feet in volume is declared contraband and is subject to forfeiture in the same manner as provided in ss. 932.703 and 932.704.
(f) If a person sustains damages arising out of a violation of this section that is punishable as a felony, a court, in a civil action for such damages, shall order the person to pay the injured party threefold the actual damages or $200, whichever amount is greater. In addition, the court shall order the person to pay the injured party’s court costs and attorney’s fees. A final judgment rendered in a criminal proceeding against a defendant under this section estops the defendant from asserting any issue in a subsequent civil action under this paragraph which he or she would be estopped from asserting if such judgment were rendered in the civil action unless the criminal judgment was based upon a plea of no contest or nolo contendere.
(g) For the purposes of this section, if a person dumps litter or raw human waste from a commercial vehicle, that person is presumed to have dumped the litter or raw human waste for commercial purposes.
(h) In the criminal trial of a person charged with violating this section, the state does not have the burden of proving that the person did not have the right or authority to dump the litter or raw human waste or that litter or raw human waste dumped on private property causes a public nuisance. The defendant has the burden of proving that he or she had authority to dump the litter or raw human waste and that the litter or raw human waste dumped does not cause a public nuisance.
(i) It is the duty of all law enforcement officers to enforce this section. If a member of a water control district board of directors or a district manager discovers that a person has committed unlawful dumping in violation of paragraph (4)(c), he or she must report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the district. A law enforcement officer may enter any district canal right-of-way, property, or facility to respond to such an incident.
(j) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (5) is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083; provided, however, that any person who dumps more than 500 pounds or more than 100 cubic feet of raw human waste, or who dumps any quantity of such waste for commercial purposes, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in paragraph (c).
(7) ENFORCEMENT BY CERTAIN COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES.—Employees of counties or municipalities whose duty it is to ensure code compliance or to enforce codes and ordinances may be designated by the governing body of the county or the municipality to enforce the provisions of this section. Designation of such employees shall not provide the employees with the authority to bear arms or to make arrests.
(8) ENFORCEMENT OF OTHER REGULATIONS.—This section does not limit the authority of any state or local agency to enforce other laws, rules, or ordinances relating to litter or solid waste management.
History.—ss. 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, ch. 71-239; s. 1, ch. 75-266; s. 1, ch. 77-82; s. 1, ch. 78-202; s. 7, ch. 80-382; s. 1, ch. 82-63; s. 1, ch. 88-79; s. 56, ch. 88-130; s. 12, ch. 89-175; s. 14, ch. 89-268; s. 1, ch. 90-76; ss. 16, 17, ch. 91-286; s. 378, ch. 94-356; s. 1, ch. 95-165; s. 11, ch. 97-103; s. 205, ch. 99-245; s. 1, ch. 2005-200; s. 2, ch. 2007-184; s. 26, ch. 2012-88; s. 3, ch. 2016-174; s. 12, ch. 2019-141; s. 20, ch. 2020-158; s. 1, ch. 2023-24; s. 1, ch. 2023-236; s. 2, ch. 2024-263.
