Florida is the state where the calendar matters most. Half the year is close to ideal and the other half needs a plan.
The afternoon storm pattern
From roughly June to September, much of Florida gets a near-daily afternoon thunderstorm. They build fast and they bring gusts well over 25 miles per hour.
That does not make a balloon unusable. It makes it a morning product in summer. Up at opening, down by early afternoon.
Businesses that treat it that way keep their balloons for years. Businesses that leave it up because the sky looked fine at noon do not.
Lightning is a separate question
A tethered balloon at 120 feet on a wet line is not something to have up in an electrical storm, and this is worth taking more seriously than the wind rule.
Bring it down when a storm is approaching, not when it arrives. If you are the person on site, that call is yours, and it should be an easy one.
Hurricane season
Obvious, but worth writing down: a named storm in the forecast means the balloon comes down and goes back in its box, days ahead, not hours.
It deflates, folds and stores flat in the carton it shipped in. Nothing about that is difficult. It just needs to be somebody’s job on the checklist alongside the shutters.
Winter is the payoff
From about November to April, Florida is close to perfect for this. Mild, mostly settled, and full of seasonal traffic that does not know the area.
That is precisely when a balloon earns its money, because your customers are visitors who cannot see you from the road and have no idea you exist. If you are only going to fly it half the year, fly it that half.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email [email protected] and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
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