DAYTONA BEACH — Most public July 4th fireworks celebrations have been canceled because of coronavirus concerns. But that doesn’t mean you won’t see the rocket’s red glare and bombs bursting in air come Independence Day.

Last week, Travis Thomas was among those stocking up early at Sky King Fireworks of International Speedway Boulevard for his own backyard fireworks show.

“You have to be on the safe side,” said Thomas, 34, of Daytona Beach, a restaurant cook who agrees with the decision many cities made to nix the traditional crowded gatherings to celebrate the holiday.

But doesn’t mean eschewing fireworks altogether, he said.

“I think if you’re doing a family gathering with a limited amount of people, it’s just fine,” he said. “I want to buy enough now, so I don’t have to come out again in the rush. I think there will be more people out in the next week.”

His shopping cart loaded with family packs of bamboo stick sparklers, Pop Pop Snappers and Golden Flowers, Thomas already had plenty of company in the past week in fireworks stores that are reporting a booming business as the pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of most big outdoor events.

In Volusia and Flagler counties, fireworks displays have been nixed in most cities, including Daytona Beach, Deltona, DeLand, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach, Flagler Beach and Palm Coast.

But fireworks sales to private citizens have been soaring, said Joe VanOudenhove, managing partner of Sky King Fireworks, a company that owns and operates 20 stores in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

“It’s a banner year for the fireworks industry coast-to-coast,” VanOudenhove said. He estimates that Sky King’s sales figures for the holiday have skyrocketed from 50% to 200%, with the Daytona Beach store ranking in the lower portion of that range.

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, consumer fireworks sales hit $1 billion in 2019, up from $945 million the previous year. Although the industry had worried that the economic downturn created by the pandemic would hurt the industry, the momentum has continued, VanOudenhove said.

“People are starved for entertainment,” he said. “There’s no sports; there’s no concerts, no fairs, no amusement parks. People have been watching Netflix and the news for the past three months.”

With gatherings tied to the Easter and Memorial Day holidays already curtailed due to the virus, families are ready to celebrate July 4th, he said.

“People are looking forward to the next holiday, the Fourth of July, which is synonymous with freedom,” he said. “And it’s celebrated with fireworks.”

Folks wary about indulging in vacations, airplane travel or even restaurant visits are still willing to spend money for a homegrown holiday celebration, he said.

“Maybe you’re not going to spend $1,000 to go on a vacation, but you will spend a couple hundred dollars on fireworks to have a barbecue and a celebration at home.”

’Everything is going really fast’

At Sky King, store managers report steady crowds in aisles stocked floor-to-ceiling with such flashy pyrotechnic items as “Pandora’s Box,” “Diaboliq” and “The King’s Arsenal.”

Even so, some customers at Sky King acknowledged that they were cutting back on what they typically would spend on fireworks for the holiday, a gesture of caution amid the pandemic.

“Our budget this year is a little less than usual,” said Jeremy Schultze, 46, a financial analyst who traveled with his two teenage children from Lake Mary to shop at the Daytona Beach store.

“We usually spend $500, but it’s about $350 this year,” Schultze said. “That’s the plan, anyway. We’re trying to keep the budget tighter because of the uncertainty about what’s going on with everything.”

At Phantom Fireworks on South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach, customer spending for the holiday has ranged from “$20 to $40 to $2,000 or $3,000, with everything in between,” said regional store manager Corey Crews.

The Ohio-based company has been in business for 40 years and operates retail stores and showrooms in 15 states as well as more than 1,500 temporary sales venues in 17 states. In Daytona Beach, the shelves were stocked with such tantalizing options as “Boom Shockalocka,” “Pyrotry In Motion” and an imposing box labeled “Grounds for Divorce.”

“It’s hard to put a number on it, but we’re definitely seeing an uptick in the number of customers coming in,” Crews said. “Many of them are mentioning doing backyard shows due to municipal events being canceled.”

Nationally, Phantom’s sales are up between 200% and 400%, Bruce Zoldan, the company’s CEO told The Detroit News.

“I think people are just excited to get out of the house, to stretch their legs and to look forward to planning small family gatherings,” Crews said. “Everything is going really fast: Our fountains, sparklers, bottle rockets, every category.”

And this year, state laws in Florida have been changed to allow more flexibility for home fireworks fans.

In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law making it legal for the public to use fireworks on the July 4th holiday, one of three occasions permitted annually that also include New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Previously, Floridians buying fireworks had long been legally required to signed an affidavit stating their purchases would be used for agricultural and fishery purposes, to frighten birds.

State Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, was one of the bill’s sponsors. Rather than making fireworks legal at all times, Hutson’s bill delineated a more narrowly defined window that encompassed holidays traditionally associated with them.

Even so, customers are still required to sign affidavits to make purchases at many stores, including Phantom Fireworks, Crews said.

Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire marshal, this past week urged Floridians to use care handling fireworks, adding that fireworks nationwide account for roughly 19,500 fires and $105 million in property damage annually.

“As our nation continues to deal with the effects of COVID-19 and more and more people will be celebrating Fourth of July in the comfort of their own home, it’s extremely important for Floridians to be cognizant and always use simple safety tips when handling fireworks,” Patronis said.

’Do it in a responsible manner’

Even with the law changed statewide, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood cautioned that the state law is superseded by local city ordinances that ban fireworks. He’s not a fan of homemade shows because of the potential for injury or property damage, he said.

“I’ve seen over the years people blow off body parts in being reckless doing this,” Chitwood said. “I know I’m spitting in the wind here and people are going to set them off, but you could maim yourself or maim or kill somebody else.

“If you’re going to do it, do it in a responsible manner so it doesn’t endanger your safety, your family’s safety or your neighbor’s property.”

More amateur fireworks displays also are anticipated over the holiday weekend by Jeff Hussey, Deputy Fire Chief for Volusia County Fire Rescue. A plan is in place to deal with the potential of more calls to firefighters, he said.

“It’s a unique time,” Hussey said. ”Usually, we advise people to go see a public community show, but this year we don’t have a lot.”

At home, there are ways to make fireworks safer, he said.

“Consumer fireworks shouldn’t be in the hands of kids,” Hussey said. “They need to be handled by adults and kept well away from buildings. People need to be sensitive to places with animals and realize that veterans also are sometimes sensitive to fireworks.

People should never hold fireworks in their hands when they are lighting them, he said. “They should set them off on the ground and follow the instructions.”

Hussey also offered a reminder that fireworks are illegal on all Volusia County beaches.

“There will be appropriate staffing levels and an appropriate action plan to manage this weekend,” he said. “Hopefully, we keep people safe and we don’t see huge increase in calls.”

Here are guidelines for fireworks safety from the office of Jimmy Petronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire marshal:

Light one firework/sparkler at a time and never relight a dud.

Beware of allowing young children to play with sparklers.

Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.

Only purchase approved sparklers found on a list maintained by the state fire marshal’s office.