How much do taxpayers pay for fireworks for Fourth of July celebrations on the Suncoast?

Fireworks shows costs tens of thousand of dollars, so we wanted to find out how much taxpayers have to cover here on the Suncoast.

The City of Bradenton, the City of Palmetto, and Manatee County are having a fireworks show at the Green Bridge. The cost of that show is $40,000 and is split between the three of them.

The big show in Downtown Sarasota is hosted and paid for by the organizers of the Suncoast Powerboat Grand Prix, so the City of Sarasota doesn’t pay anything for the show.

In Venice, their fireworks show costs $25,000. The Sertoma Club paid $10,000 towards that and the city paid for the rest.

Lastly, the show on Siesta Key costs $50,000. The Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce said they have almost received that much money through sponsorship donations. But if any first responders, veterans, or active military wants to donate $100, the person who donated will receive a parking space, four tickets, and be able to watch the show in seats with the best view.

For those people who would rather buy their own fireworks, Dustin Luer, who is the General Manager of Sky King Fireworks, said the week of the Fourth of July is a great time to buy them. There are many sales going on now that will last for a few days after the holiday.

Fireworks don’t go bad if they’re stored properly, so it isn’t a bad idea to pick some up after this year’s festivities are over to save for next year.

“You can keep them for a year if you’d like to, you just need to keep them in a cool, dry place. Water and fire are two things that damage fireworks so you don’t want to be in a muggy garage for sure,” said Luer.

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