BOCA RATON, Fla. — Video taken on Sunday has many people outraged as a group of about 10 people on a boat are seen dumping trash into the ocean in Boca Raton.
The video was posted on YouTube by Wavy Boats, which takes videos of boats riding through rough inlet waters.
In it, two people on the boat grab two large filled trash bins and dump the contents overboard.
The boat is then seen driving away while all the trash is left floating in the wake.
Unregulated disposal of wastes and other materials into the ocean degrades marine and natural resources, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It also poses human health risks.
In the video, the boat is branded Halcyon, registered in Gulf Stream.
WPTV contacted its owner, who declined to comment.
"It's everything you can think of, from bottles to cans to garbage to plastic, everything that can kill the environment. It's awful," said Jill Ofer and Ed Zybert, speaking together, who live alongside the beach. "The plastic will stay in the ocean and that's how you kill the fish and the whole environment. It's pretty outrageous."
According to Florida's litter law, those illegally dumping more than 15 pounds of waste into a waterway could face a first-degree misdemeanor.
They could also spend up to one year in jail, pay a $1,000 fine and serve up to one year of probation.
"Fines? It could be a bunch of rich people who money means nothing," said Pavni Sunkara, who saw the video of the boaters. "They should be able to join groups who actually clean this stuff to know what kind of stuff that they're doing."
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called the incident "illegal dumping of trash" and said it was investigating.
WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked if the amount of trash will factor into the fines. The FWC said it's under investigation.
"What do you hope happens to this group?" Lopez asked Ofer.
"That they won't have the right to be in the water anymore," she said.
The Boca Bash Instagram page posted on its story that the boaters attended their event.
Boca Bash is an annual event where numerous boats get together and spend the day at Lake Boca Raton.
They released the following statement to WPTV:
"We were first informed of the egregious act when Qualified Captain posted the video. We quickly discovered who the owner of the boat was and several people helping us find them had already contacted the authorities to handle the situation. It is irresponsible boat owners like this that give the event a bad reputation. The Boca Bash regularly asks attendees to keep our waterways CLEAN. It seems the issue was the boaters were paranoid about getting pulled over, which is why we relentlessly ask everyone to pair up with a captain for their Boca Bash trip. We do not condone drinking and operating a vessel by ANY MEANS."
The FWC said WPTV could expect updates on the investigation on Tuesday.
