- April 26, 2024
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The Flagler Beach City Commission unanimously supported an ordinance on Sept. 22 that prohibits smoking in public parks and beaches.
This was a first read for the ordinance, which will be revisited at the next commission meeting for a second reading and adoption on Oct. 13. Flagler Beach’s city ordinance is a blanket restriction on smoking tobacco products in public parks, beaches and recreational spaces, including boardwalks.
The ordinance comes after the Florida State Legislature passed a law earlier this year allowing counties and municipalities to pass their own restrictions, if any, for smoking on the beach, with an exception for unfiltered cigars without plastic tips.
“There’s nothing worse than standing under the A-frame at the pier and being smoked out by a bunch of cigarettes in the morning,” Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston said.
Cigarette butts are also the most common litter item found on beaches, according to the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
Johnston had questions about enforcement logistics, but for Chairman Ken Bryan, enforcement would be similar to the city's littering ordinance, which also doesn’t have formal enforcement.
“You have peer pressure, and also pure consideration and the respect of the law itself,” Bryan said. “A lot of this is going to be educational, as far as I can tell.”
Commissioner James Sherman asked the city attorney why the ordinance specifies tobacco products instead of including vapes and marijuana. The attorney said the ordinance was drafted that way because the statute is so new that city staff wanted to ensure they stayed within its allowances, and could amend the ordinance to include others types down the line.
Language in the ordinance does allow for designated smoking areas, though it is unclear if the city will have them.
