Don’t. Just don’t.

Balloons are so pretty. So festive. And when filled with helium, they float off into the heavens. So lovely. So free. Or so it seems.

But it really is true that what goes up, must come down. And when balloons come down they are deadly. Incredibly deadly. Ugly deadly.

Recent research by the Ocean Conservation Society found that balloons are the top cause of debris-related death among seabirds. Just one small piece of balloon ingested by a bird can result in ultimate death. Bits of balloon block digestive tracts or simply prevent the animal from feeling hungry and it starves to death. The strings and streamers attached to balloons pose an entanglement danger. These threats are just as real and immediate to inland birds and animals as they are to sea life.

Florida has just passed a bill outlawing intentional balloon releases. Under the new law, releasing even one balloon will be liable for a littering fine. Way to go, Florida!

“Florida made the right call today in banning intentional balloon releases. Balloons are one of the deadliest forms of plastic pollution for ocean wildlife,” Hunter Miller, Oceana Field Campaigns Manager, said in a statement. “It’s great to see state legislators from both sides of the aisle come together to support a commonsense bill and get it passed.”

Read all about it here.