Florida wildlife officials are investigating after a group of revelers was captured in a viral video dumping a load of trash off their boat after leaving the Boca Bash, an annual boat party.
Wavy Boats, a YouTube channel dedicated to filming boats navigating the waters of South Florida's choppiest inlets, shared a video Monday, April 29, that showed a group of partiers leaving Boca Raton Inlet on Sunday, April 28 and promptly dumping two bins of trash into the water while cheering and smiling for the drone's camera.
The boaters had just left the Boca Bash, an annual boating party that takes place on Lake Boca on the last Sunday of April. The video left locals fuming, including the organizers of the Bash.
Boca Bash representatives told WSVN the boaters' actions were "egregious" and "completely unacceptable." Noting that the people on board the boat had been identified, organizers said "it is unresponsible boaters like this that have zero care for our oceans that give this event a bad reputation."
The Boca Raton Police Services Department acknowledged the video on Monday on X, formerly Twitter, and said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission "is actively investigating the incident."
FWC "was notified of an incident involving illegal trash dumping on Sunday at Boca Inlet. This is currently an active investigation, and we will release additional details when available," the agency said in a statement.
Under Florida's Litter Law, the violators could face different penalties, depending on whether they dumped more or less than 15 pounds of trash.
If less, the infraction is punishable by a civil penalty of $150. If more than 15 pounds, up to 500 pounds, the act becomes a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and requiring the violator to pick up the trash or perform commensurate community service.
—TMX contributed to this report.