Man faces jail for romantic releasing of heart-shaped helium-filled balloons

Love was in the air for Anthony Brasfield when he released a dozen heart-shaped balloons into the sky over Dania Beach, Florida, with his sweetheart.

Brasfield, 40, and his girlfriend, Shaquina Baxter, were in the parking lot of the Motel 6 on Dania Beach Boulevard when he released the shiny red and silver balloons and watched them float away on Sunday morning.



Also watching the romantic gesture was a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, who instead noted probable cause for an environmental crime. Endangered marine turtle species and birds, such as wood storks and brown pelicans, seek refuge in John U. Lloyd State Park, about 1.5 miles east of the motel.

Brasfield was charged with polluting to harm humans, animals, plants, etc. under the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Act. The third-degree felony is punishable by up to five years in prison.