Some Miami-Dade cities ban gas lawn equipment. Florida lawmakers want to end that
Few things are more irritating than the roar of a leaf blower at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. But beyond the noise, these machines blow pollutants into the air we breathe and emit planet-warming gases at alarming rates.
That’s why cities like Miami Beach and South Miami, along with villages like Pinecrest and Key Biscayne, have enacted bans on gas-powered lawn equipment like leaf blowers and chainsaws — imposing fines on violators. But on Thursday, the Florida Senate passed a bill unanimously that, if made into law, would undo those local restrictions.
None of the local municipalities ban gas-powered lawnmowers —yet— but the legislation preemptively prevents all gas-powered lawn equipment from being banned.
The legislation, sponsored by Senator Keith Truenow, specifically cites Miami Beach’s ban on gas-powered leaf blowers and chainsaws in the bill analysis. The push for the measure appears to have been prompted by actions in Winter Park, which had moved to restrict gas leaf blowers but later reversed course. The analysis cited an email sent to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from lawn care companies expressing concerns that electric equipment lacked sufficient battery life to complete jobs and cost significantly more.
Miami Beach Commissioner Laura Dominguez told the Miami Herald that there’s been support for the use of electric leaf blowers from neighborhood associations and residents since the city’s ban passed in 2022. But if yard workers were using gas-powered equipment, she said, code enforcement would give them a warning, “so it wasn’t a hindrance to business in Miami Beach.”
Amy Knowles, Chief Resilience Officer and Director of Miami Beach, said the removal of gas leaf blowers and chainsaws directly relates to the health of the community.
“It helps in preventing oil and gasoline spills that can negatively impact our environment and water quality, reduces air pollution from exhaust at ground level, supports our greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, and dramatically reduces noise levels,” she said.
The mayor of Pinecrest, Joseph Corradino, said the village passed the ordinance after residents expressed concerns over the noise and air emissions near homes, schools and parks.
“It was not intended to single out residents or businesses, but rather to align with community priorities around sustainability and neighborhood character,” Corradino said.
A 2023 report ranked Florida as one of the worst offenders in the nation in generating pollution with gas lawn equipment. Using data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2020 National Emissions Inventory, the report found that Florida’s equipment released about the same amount of emissions that comes from 30 million cars.
“We really are ground zero for climate change, and so people in Tallahassee making these rules should really be more understanding of local municipalities’ issues, and the state continuously takes away local control,” said Sandy Moise, the director of policy at the Urban Paradise Guild, an environmental organization in Miami-Dade.
This is not the first attempt to overturn these local rules. In 2024, there was another, but it was vetoed when it reached Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk. He also canceled $100,000 in state funding to conduct a cost analysis of both gas and electric leaf blowers.
The bill, SB290/ HB433, is part of a sweeping set of measures in this year’s Florida farm bill aimed to “protect freedom, family, and farmers.” Among many things in the bill are banning restrictions on diesel farm equipment, a loan program for veterinarians practicing on Florida food animals and prohibiting unsolicited door-to-door sales, which is one of the ways solar panel companies target homeowners.
The House version of the bill still has at least one more stop before full House consideration. The bill’s sponsor in the House, Tampa-area Republican Rep. Danny Alvarez, told the Herald in a statement that the law is necessary because across Florida “we’re seeing a messy patchwork of local ordinances that create confusion, drive up costs, and punish small businesses and homeowners.”
Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for the Miami Herald funded by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation and MSC Cruises in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
