PROPOSED FLORIDA BEACH SMOKING BAN

A bill approved by a Senate committee yesterday in the Florida Legislature would allow local governments to ban tobacco smoking at beaches and parks. Florida already bans smoking at indoor workplaces and restaurants other than bars that sell a minimal amount of food, but cities and counties can’t enact local ordinances to further restrict smoking. One goal of the legislation would be to improve the beach environment. During last year’s International Coastal Cleanup Day, 188,000 cigarette butts were picked up in Florida and cigarette butts are the number one item found on beaches in the United States.