Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Monday that prohibits the intentional release of balloons in most circumstances.

DeSantis signed the bill after overwhelming majorities in the state’s legislature approved the measure. Those who violate the law would be subject to a $150 littering fine.

Prior to the signing of CS/SB 602, Florida law allowed for the release of biodegradable balloons, as well as the release of up to 10 balloons at once. The updated law now eliminates those exceptions.

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The law has exceptions for government research balloons, such as those used by the National Weather Service for forecasting. Also, those under age 6 are exempted from the law.

According to an analysis of the bill, advocates for the legislation say that balloons “can pose a significant danger to wildlife and become a nuisance to the environment.” Advocates for the bill say that balloon debris is among the five deadliest types of marine debris that pose a risk to marine wildlife.

The Coalition for Responsible Celebration has been urging state governments to implement bans on balloon release as it promotes responsible balloon usage.

“The CRC strongly supports HB321, signed into law by Governor DeSantis, which bans the intentional release of balloons,” Maria Stockham, executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Celebration, in a statement. “Balloons bring joy to celebrations. Promoting responsible use and proper disposal ensures that balloons stay out of our waterways and powerlines, contributing to a healthier and cleaner community for all. This law reinforces our commitment to sustainability and the preservation of Florida’s natural beauty.”

A Florida man eating in a diner with his wife recently sneezed so forcefully it caused parts of his intestines to exit his body through a surgical wound, according to researchers.

The case, published in a May 2024 edition of the American Journal of Medical Case Reports, describes the unnamed man as a 63-year-old with a history of prostate cancer.

During treatments for a post-cancer recurrence, he encountered various health complications, and the man underwent a cystectomy, a procedure to remove his urinary bladder, 15 days before the diner incident, leaving him with a healing surgical wound on his abdomen.

The morning of the sneeze, the man’s doctors reported that he was healing well and could remove staples binding the wound together.

He and his wife went out to breakfast at the diner to celebrate.

“During breakfast, the man sneezed forcefully, followed by coughing. He immediately noticed a ‘wet’ sensation and pain in his lower abdomen. Looking down, he observed several loops of pink bowel protruding from his recent surgical site,” the researchers write.

Stunned, the man covered the protuberance with his shirt and considered driving himself to a hospital, but feared changing positions would make the wound worse and called an ambulance instead.

Arriving paramedics covered the wound with a pad and gave the man painkillers, rushing him to a nearby hopsital.

There, measurements showed his vital signs within normal limits.

“Three Urologic surgeons carefully reduced the eviscerated bowel back into the abdominal cavity,” the cast study continues. “They inspected the full length of the small bowel and noted no evidence of injury.”

The journal notes that the case is an important one because it fills in gaps in the literature about dehisence, the bursting of wounds.

“While wound dehiscence is a well-known complication, this case is important because evisceration through the abdominal surgical site after cystectomy is poorly described in the medical literature,” the article concludes.

Double sonic booms sounded through the Space Coast Tuesday afternoon as not one, but two Falcon 9 side boosters landed. GOES-U, the latest weather satellite by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, was headed to geostationary orbit, 22.236 miles above Earth. Its science should help to revolutionize not only weather imaging here on Earth but look at space weather that could impact our planet.

NOAA’s GOES-U satellite rose into space atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A. The two-hour launch window opened at 5:16 p.m. EDT, but only an additional 10 minutes was needed to work around weather.

Launching atop a core Falcon 9 booster, supported by two shiny white Falcon 9s — the triple-core Falcon Heavy had given off a blinding five million pounds of thrust at liftoff. After boosting the satellite off the pad, the two new side boosters separated and landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The core booster, which was also new, was discarded over the ocean after doing its job.

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Even though the rocket launched on Tuesday, the rocket was a bit late to the launch pad − not arriving until late Monday. SpaceX said an environmental control system, which keeps the satellite free of humidity and protected before launch, had been malfunctioning. This delayed the roll out of the rocket, as SpaceX teams opted to keep the spacecraft in the hanger to protect it until the system was fixed.

What is the GOES-U satellite?

This new weather satellite will not only enable earlier storm detection, but it will give forecasters more time to warn the public of approaching threats. GOES-U will also provide observation of the sun − which has been very active this year − to alert those who need to know about approaching solar flares.

Looking both down at Earth and out at the sun, GOES-U is set to join two other satellites, which are already in orbit as part of the GOES-R series. It will be the last of the GOES satellites, as a new generation of weather satellites is on the horizon.

The first of this series, GOES-R, was launched back in 2016 atop an Atlas V rocket. GOES-U will be the first − and the last − of the GOES satellites to be launched atop a Falcon Heavy.

This satellite will monitor much of the Western Hemisphere, including the Americas, the Caribbean, and Atlantic Ocean.

“National Weather Service colleagues tell us this technology has changed the game for weather prediction and forecasting,” Steve Volz, assistant administrator of NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service, said during a NASA press briefing.

“It is the bridge that connects today’s geostationary satellite technology with the technology of tomorrow, that promises to be more sophisticated and more impactful than what the GOES satellite series currently provides,” he said.

Like Earth technology, satellite technology can only be relevant for so long. GeoXO will be the series of satellites which will follow beginning in the 2030s. Development is currently in process.

SpaceX launch statistics

• The launch of GOES-U brought SpaceX’s ninth launch for the NASA launch services program.
• With the launch vehicle first flying in 2018, this was the 10th Falcon Heavy launch to date.
• As SpaceX is launching Falcon 9 rockets from both coasts, this marked the company’s 65th mission of the year.

Upcoming Falcon Heavy Flights

The next Falcon Heavy launch scheduled is NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which will be no earlier than October.

As for the next Florida launch, a Falcon 9 rocket will carry a Starlink mission on Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40. SpaceX has not announced a launch time, yet the Geospatial Navigational Warning and FAA Advisory states the launch window opens at 7 a.m. EDT.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.