This Florida senator doesn’t like smoking on beaches. His bill could make it illegal.
If you’re one of those who seek Florida beaches for the smell of open air — or at the least, the familiar scent of sunscreens and oils — you might welcome a new bill that was filed on Tuesday by a Florida senator from Sarasota.
Republican Sen. Joe Gruters’ Senate Bill 218 would prohibit the smoking of tobacco on public beaches. The bill would authorize law enforcement officers to issue citations “as prescribed by a county or municipality to any person who smokes tobacco on a public beach.”
The fines would be $25 or less and no more than 10 hours of community service. A corresponding bill has not been filed in the House. The Senate bill is filed for consideration in the March legislative session.
If passed by the Legislature, Gruters’ bill would have to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. If he did so, it would go into effect on July 1.
If the bill passes, beachgoers should see fewer cigarette butts pressed into the sand. But the bill only mentions tobacco and does not address vaping on electronic cigarettes, a popular trend among teenagers that has already led Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber to urge stronger restrictions on their sales.
A 2016 U.S. Surgeon General’s report on e-cigarette usage among young adults found that e-cig usage grew “an astounding 900 percent among high school students from 2011 to 2015.”
The Tampa-born Gruters represents Florida’s 23rd district, which covers Sarasota County and parts of Charlotte County in southwest Florida.
This story was originally published January 3, 2019 at 4:04 PM.
