Smoking Ban At St. Pete Parks, Beaches Moves Forward: Report

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A proposed ordinance could ban smoking cigarettes at St. Petersburg's parks and beaches, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The St. Petersburg City Council’s Health, Energy, Resilience and Sustainability Committee approved the draft ordinance Thursday. It will next be considered by the full city council in September. If approved then, the ban would go into effect immediately with enforcement starting Jan. 1.

Gina Driscoll, chair of both the HERS committee and the city council, introduced the draft ordinance, which would amend City Code Chapters 7 and 21, according to a memo from the city attorney’s office.

Patricia DePlasco, executive director of Keep Pinellas Beautiful, spoke before the committee, reportedly telling its members that about 75 percent of the 6.5 trillion cigarettes purchased globally each year are littered. And these cigarette butts, which release carcinogens into the environment and take about 150 years to decompose, make up about 40 percent of all waste picked up from cities and beaches during clean-up campaigns, she added.

• Also read: Counties, Cities Can Now Ban Smoking At Beaches Under New Florida Law

In June, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 105 into law, permitting cities and counties to prohibit smoking at their beaches and parks. The law builds on the state constitutional amendment, the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act, which banned indoor smoking at restaurants and workplaces.

Before this, under state law, the city was only allowed to regulate smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes and devices related to vaping at parks and beaches, the St. Petersburg attorney's office said.

If approved, the new law would impact all of St. Petersburg's public beaches, including Egmont Key, Fort DeSoto, Maximo Beach, Spa Beach, North Shore Beach and St. Pete Municipal Beach, Fox 13 reported. The city also boasts more than 150 parks.