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Exploding fireworks still not allowed in Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fireworks enthusiasts in Florida will have to wait at least another year to purchase exploding and high-flying pyrotechnics. 

A bill that would have made the possibility a reality this Fourth of July never got off the ground in the House and Senate committees. 

"The little sparklers nobody wants. These guys don't do any business right here," said consumer Zach Webbe. 

Sparklers and poppers are legal in Florida. In most counties, you can buy Roman Candles and mortars only if you sign a waiver promising to use them for agriculture purposes like scaring birds off. 

"I think we all we know they're not being used for agricultural purposes," Sara Prewett said. 

"It's a loophole," said Webbe. In Jacksonville Beach, you can't find any exploding fireworks but we found out a roadside stand there was caught selling them anyway. 

"Some of them had some illegal fireworks and they took care of it so we don't have any now that I know of in Jacksonville Beach," said Chief Gary Frazier. Frazier said they do spot checks before the holiday. On the Fourth of July, they put one extra truck and seven more firefighters on the streets.

If a bill allowing the legalization of fireworks would have passed, Frazier said his department would have been scrambling to find a lot more manpower. Last year, Florida fire departments have responded to 120 fireworks-related reports.