Won't Secure Your Beach Umbrella? It Could Cost You Up To $250

In 2019, NJ.com put together a story that states that, "there has been 2,800 Americans treated in hospital emergency rooms for beach umbrella injuries between 2010 and 2018, which is more than 300 per year."

FYI: That means that there is more injuries inflicted from beach umbrellas than sharks every year. Wow.

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So, I guess it is not too surprising that Monmouth County Assemblyman, Eric Houghtaling wrote and proposed this next bill.

The bill states that beach umbrellas will have to be anchored down in the sand using tie-down straps or sandbags.

In a previous version of the bill that was proposed, umbrellas would only need to be secured on days that wind speeds exceed 25 mph.

However, if the bill moves forward, Houghtaling said that he hopes to eliminate that provision so that beach umbrellas will always have to be secured down.

“I go to the beach fairly regularly, and my wife is in charge of putting the umbrella down securely into the sand,” he said. “It’s a simple thing to do, but a lot of people don’t want to be bothered with it. The weather at the beach is so unpredictable that the wind can kick up at any time, and you can have 20 umbrellas flying all over the place.”

If you don't invest in some equipment to safely secure your umbrella, it will cost you to say the least.

The bill states that violators will be fined $50 for the first offense and up to $250 fine for the third violation.

So basically, safety first. And if you don't listen, your wallet will be mad at you.