Because of the rise in popularity that tattoos have received in the last few years, I often get surprised very easily. Not because of how popular tattoos actually are; but because unfortunately there are still places where the whole “tattoos are mainstream now” thing hasn’t really caught on. I guess the message was lost somewhere along the way and places like Florida just kept going on with life as usual.
Hey, I’m not picking on Florida. It’s just that I found out that in Florida, all you need to legally get a tattoo if you are 16 or younger is a note from your parents. Seriously, a frigging note. Well, okay, it’s not quite a note. It’s a notarized consent form, but that’s still pretty close to a note, if you ask me. It’s not 16-year-olds getting tattooed in the state of Florida that bothers me, it’s the fact that even today Floridian tattoo artists don’t have to register with the Department of Health. What? That’s crazy.
Fortunately, new legislation is currently being considered that will ban kids under the age of 16 from getting tattooed and require all tattoo artists to register with the Board of Health. Making artists register with the Board of Health is just one step closer to making tattoo artists legitimate in the eyes of the public and it’s something that Florida should have done a long time ago. Come on Florida, get it done.