Thongs are OK on beaches but not butts. Miami-Dade bans seaside smoking

As his 3-year-old daughter played under the shade of palm trees at Crandon Park Beach, Rodrigo Gonzalez looked on, holding a brightly-colored vape in one hand.

The Doral resident can keep the vape for now, but an ordinance passed Wednesday will prohibit Gonzalez and other beach-goers from smoking cigarettes at Miami-Dade County beaches starting in early July.

On Wednesday, the Miami-Dade County Commission voted unanimously to pass an ordinance banning smoking at county parks and beaches. The ordinance passed without discussion.

This ordinance will apply to Haulover Park Beach, Crandon Park Beach, Rickenbacker Causeway beaches, the atoll pools at Matheson Hammock Park, Homestead Bayfront Park, Larry and Penny Thompson Park Beach and Amelia Earhart Park Beach.

The ban will not prohibit the use of unfiltered cigars.

State legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 has allowed cities and counties across Florida to implement smoking bans at beaches and parks. Cities and counties previously lacked that authority.

Though Gonzalez smokes cigarettes in addition to vaping, he said he supports banning cigarettes at the beach to keep the sand and air clean. He said he thinks vaping is less bothersome to others than smoking cigarettes. Vaping will not be banned under the new ordinance.

Kamirah Louissaint, 17, spoke in favor of the ban at the commission meeting and said she’s ready to enjoy a smoke-free time by the ocean. “I go to the beach, and you’re more likely than not to see somebody smoking,” Louissaint, a Little Haiti resident and part of the Students Working Against Tobacco organization, said outside the chambers.

Aracely Alducin, who said she often sees people smoking at Miami beaches, said at Crandon Park Beach on Wednesday that smoking bans are important to protect children’s health.

Sandra Lameira, who traveled to Miami with her 3-year-old son from Ontario, Canada, to celebrate his birthday, said at Crandon Park Beach that she supports the new ordinance.

“I honestly think it’s a great idea. There’s kids around,” Lameira said. “People throw their butts down, and it gets dirty.”

The commission cited both the adverse health consequences of secondhand smoke exposure and the cigarette butts some smokers leave behind as reasons for the ban in a memo from the mayor.

Violators of the new ban will be subject to a civil citation and face a fine of up to $100 for their first offense. A second offense will carry a fine of $200, and third and subsequent offenses will carry a fine of $300.

Jonnie Eli, a Florida International University student, said because he does not smoke, he does not expect the ban to impact him much. He added, while soaking up the sun with friends at Crandon Park Beach, he likes that the new ban will help keep the beach clean of cigarette butts.

Eli said he usually sees more vaping than smoking at the beach. Like Gonzalez, Eli said he is more bothered by other people smoking cigarettes on the beach than vaping.

Cities across the county already have smoking bans for their parks and beaches on the books. Last month, Miami voted to ban tobacco, cannabis and e-cigarette use in city parks and beaches.

The city of Sunny Isles Beach adopted an ordinance prohibiting smoking in parks and on beaches last year.

READ MORE: Want to smoke on the sand? A ban is coming to Miami Beach. What to know about the law

Miami Beach voted to prohibit smoking on the beach last year, and the ban went into effect on Jan. 1.

Ricky Arriola, the only Miami Beach commissioner who voted against the measure, told the Herald on Wednesday that he thinks beach smoking bans are examples of “virtue signaling.” Arriola said he thinks commissioners should focus on issues like traffic, affordable housing and crime, and he said recent smoking bans are unnecessary and will not be fully enforced.

Bans on alcohol and coolers at beaches already exist throughout the county, Arriola said, and beach-goers frequently violate them without penalty. He added that he believes the same will happen with recent smoking bans.

Arriola also expressed concern about international tourists who are unfamiliar with local laws being slapped with fines for smoking on the beach.

Daniel Esperer, a tourist from Chile who said he smokes “a little,” said there are not laws in his country banning smoking on beaches.

Alicia Machin, a tourist visiting from Argentina, said she does not smoke, and she supports the ordinance.

Miami Herald staff writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.