Panama City Beach outlaws cigarette smoking, vaping at public parks, along beach near pier

Nathan Cobb, The News Herald
·2 min read

PANAMA CITY BEACH − It now is illegal to smoke cigarettes and vape in select areas of the Beach.

However, unfiltered cigars still are fair game.

The Panama City Beach City Council on Thursday approved the second and final reading of an ordinance that bans cigarette smoking and vaping in public parks and along about 400 feet of beach on both sides of the Russell-Fields Pier.

The Panama City Beach City Council approved an ordinance that bans cigarette smoking and vaping in public parks and along the beach near the Russell-Fields Pier.
The Panama City Beach City Council approved an ordinance that bans cigarette smoking and vaping in public parks and along the beach near the Russell-Fields Pier.

"I want to champion the rights of moms, dads, kids who want to enjoy the beach, and now they'll have a section of the beach they can go to where they can do that without they themselves being disturbed," Councilman Michael Jarman said. "I want to champion the fact that moms, dads, kids can go to the playgrounds and not have to have second-hand smoke ... or while they're sitting at the bleachers watching a baseball game."

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The council was able to pass such an ordinance because of Florida House Bill 105, which allows governments to ban cigarette smoking and vaping on beaches an at parks. The bill was passed by the House in February and the Senate in March, before it was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 24 and became law July 1.

Unfiltered cigars were exempt from the state legislation. They still are allowed in parks and along the beach near the pier.

The only exceptions for cigarette smoking and vaping in those areas are at certain special events, in smoking sites designated by the city manager and from within vehicles.

Officials said Tuesday the ordinance also is designed to prevent littering of cigarette butts, which they noted are difficult to remove from the sandy beach. Cigarette butts are "a pervasive, long-lasting and toxic form of marine debris," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The ban, which went into effect immediately following the Thursday meeting, passed 3-2 and was supported by Jarman, Councilman Paul Casto and Mayor Mark Sheldon. Councilman Phil Chester and Council member Mary Coburn opposed the ruling.

All officials maintained the same votes as during the ordinance's first reading in October.

"I don't think my opinion has changed," Coburn said. "I just find this to be a very elitist piece of legislation that's been handed down by Tallahassee, and being a home-rule state, we have the choice of whether to accept this or not. I think we need to walk away from this because it is not equitable across the board to everyone ... by allowing unfiltered cigars to be smoked."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach bans cigarette smoking, vaping in many public places