Smoking On Beaches: FL Beach Bans

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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:JULY 8, 2009.
CONTACT:
GARY SOLOMON
(561)734-9128 or GSOLOMON@SANDSIFTERS.ORG
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Sand Sifters Gulfstream Park Beach Cleanup “Be Green, Start Clean, Don’t Litter!”
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Unveiling of Cigarette Awareness Signs & Cigarette Receptacles at Palm Beach County Beaches
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The Sand Sifters, County Commissioner Steven Abrams & Eric Call, Assistant Director of Palm Beach County
Parks & Recreation will be present at the Sand Sifters Beach Cleanup at Gulfstream Park to unveil new signs.?
Since cigarette butts have been the single biggest litter problem threatening our coastal environment we are happy
to announce that the County will be placing Cigarette Litter Awareness Signs with Cigarette Receptacles at the
entrance walk ways towards the beaches throughout Palm Beach County.? The message will strongly encourage people
to discard their cigarettes in receptacles before going down to the beach while helping to protect our coastal environment.
We are expecting the City of Boynton Beach and Town of Ocean Ridge to review signage in the near future.
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Sand Sifters Beach Cleanup
Saturday July 18, 2009.
8:00-10:30 a.m.
Gulfstream Park
4489 N. Ocean Blvd.(A1A).
Gulfstream, Fl.
Meet at picnic tables at top of the entrance path.
Free T-shirts While Supplies Last.
Community Service Hours Awarded.
Visit our Website: SandSifters.org
Pre-Registration;
GSolomon@SandSifters.org
(561)734-9128.
Sponsors:
The Sand Sifters
City of Boynton Beach Recreation and Parks Department
Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department
Town of Ocean Ridge
Recipe Exchange
Dave Wagner Realtor
Le Petit Pain French Bakery
Print Basics, Inc., Rod and Kathy Silverio

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Fla. County Nixes ‘No Smoking’ Beach Signs
May, 2009
The parks department in Palm Beach County, Fla., says there are no plans to add “No Smoking” signs on beaches despite requests from an environmental group.
“Entities other than the state aren’t supposed to pass any restrictions on smoking in public places,” Chief Assistant County Attorney Jim Mize said.
“We try to abide by state law.”
Sand Sifters Beach Cleanup founder Gary Solomon said he will continue to seek the posting of signs to limit the number of discarded cigarette butts littering area beaches, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Wednesday.
“The problem just seems to be getting worse,” Solomon said. “If you are going to smoke, take your butts with you.”

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FL Cities Attempting To Ban Smoking From Their Beaches

December 7, 2006
Patricia Shehan

Miami, FL – Changes on the horizon at the shoreline may be coming for smokers who can’t light up indoors anymore. In the near future, smokers may not even be able to light up outside either in some locations.

Smoking a cigarette while sunning on the beach may no longer be considered a freedom, even though it’s not indoors. Fines will be issued if you’re caught smoking in a restricted nonsmoking area.

City officials in Delray Beach and Pompano Beach are seeking outdoor smoking bans for their public beaches. Littered cigarette butts remain behind in the sand, even though the beach is raked daily. They’re too small to be cleaned up.

Parents whose children are playing in the sand and find the remains of cigarettes are not too happy either. Therefore many parents are supportive of the smoking bans for the beaches.

On the contrary, Florida state law may make the city’s propositions impassable. According to a Sun-Sentinel report, an opinion by the attorney general was issued in 2005 stating that The Florida Clean Indoor Act mandates that only the state can ban smoking outdoors.

The cities are going forward with their votes anyway, contrary to state law.

Delray Beach is considering a proposal to create segregated smoking and nonsmoking areas on the beach. According to the city mayor, he has received an overwhelming response of support for the partial smoking ban. The commissioners plan to vote on this proposal in January.

The mayor of Cocoa Beach recently attempted to ban smoking from the beach in their area. The proposal was not passed by the vote of the commissioners. Thereafter the ban was proposed on an election ballot, but 53 percent of the voters were against it.

Pompano Beach commissioners are planning to vote on the smoking ban for the beaches in their city in January as well.

Port St. Lucie attempted to pass a smoking ban in public parks and on their beaches two years ago, but it failed as well.

Health reasons and littered cigarette butts have been the main reasons cited to adopt these laws.

Even if the law is passed, enforcement is another issue.

According to Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest nonprofit community improvement organization, cigarette litter is a major environmental problem in all communities. The organization states that cigarette litter equals 20 percent of the total litter during cleanups. In addition, the filter of a cigarette does not break down easily and remains behind as dirty litter.