Butts Out on Parts of Miami Beach, Please

MIAMI BEACH — In a city known for butts on its beaches, Miami Beach is asking visitors and residents to avoid the kind that create litter and second-hand smoke, at least on two blocks.

Two new voluntary smoke-free zones have now been added along Miami Beach at the southern end of Lummus Park at 5 Street in South Beach and on 86 Street in North Beach.

The zones will not be enforced though some residents and visitors, particularly those from other countries, may be confused by the signs.

They state: "Thank you for not smoking,' and incorporate an image of a cigarette in a circle with a line through it.

One commissioner likened the sign to a Ghostbusters symbol.

Commissioner Michael Grieco noted at the meeting in October where officials approved the zones, that local governments are precluded from banning smoking in public places.

“With it being voluntary, it’s a little bit of a social experiment but I think that it’s good for the city. I think it’s something that if it works, maybe other cities will take it on," Grieco acknowledged. "Maybe we’ll be able to expand the program.”

Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez expressed concerns at the time that too many signs on the beach might discourage tourists from coming to this urban resort.

"Europeans come here," she told fellow commissioners. "They’re not even going to read the voluntary part."

Commissioner Joy Malakoff said the voluntary zones are good for the city.

"I know it cannot be enforced. But it gives our visitors and our residents the feeling that they should be aware, and perhaps it will lead to more people not smoking," she explained. "It just says, 'thank you for not smoking.' It doesn't say it's prohibited."