INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — It was around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Beth McMullen said cars were lining a portion of Harbor Drive South in Indian Rocks Beach.
All of the sudden, she and her fellow neighbors heard a loud boom followed by a pink plume of smoke.
“All of our neighbors emerged from their homes, inquiring about what on earth happened. People were strolling down the street, questioning, ‘What in the world was that?'” she recounted.
McMullen said she called 911.
“This is what ended up in my neighbor’s garden, and she also had to contend with the pink smoke that settled in her yard too,” she noted, holding up a bag full of debris.
News Channel 8 On Your Side contacted the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office; however, they declined to give an interview and mentioned that the public records request for the reports couldn’t be completed on Monday.
News Channel 8 stopped by the house in question and found a box labeled “amazing fireworks, prince or princess” in the trash bin sitting at the curb.
Reporters also knocked on the door, but no one answered.
News Channel 8 called and texted the number listed on the house in question but had not yet heard back at the time this article was written.
McMullen said she’s fought tooth and nail alongside her neighbors for tougher regulations on short term rentals in Indian Rocks Beach and is disappointed she’s still being disturbed by guests.
“We have lost more and more neighbors, and at this point, some parts of the town don’t even have neighbors anymore. All the homes are empty or short-term rentals,” she said.
8 On Your Side will continue working to get answers on exactly what happened, how many people were at the property and what the sheriff’s office has to say about the complaint
According to city code, it is illegal to set off of fireworks, something that can result in a $500 fine.
