St. Augustine officials could ban smoking and vaping in parks – St. Augustine Record

The city of St. Augustinecould soon ban smoking and vaping in public parks and at its city pool.

City commissioners passedan ordinance on first reading Monday night that would ban both vaping and smoking not only in city-owned and operated public parks, but also at theWillie Galimore Center public pool.

A change in Florida law opened the door for the city to prohibitsmoking and vaping in any city-ownedpublic park, City Attorney Isabelle Lopez said.

"So we took that opportunity to update our code and providing for smoking-prohibited areas in all of our public parks, and we specifically called out the public pool deck at the Willie Galimore Center,"Lopez said. "One would think it's intuitive you shouldn't smoke there, but you would be surprised."

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Commissioners moved the ordinance forward with a 4-0 vote andfew comments. The ordinance must pass at a second reading and public hearing to be enacted.The second reading is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 8. Commissioner Roxanne Horvath did not attend the meeting.

Once adopted, people who smoke in public city parks could face a fine of up to $100 per violation.

The city has several public parks, including:

The Plaza de la Constitucion would also be included in the ban.

Randy Hunziker, a smoker, spoke from the Eddie Vickers Park gazebo in Lincolnville on Monday.

He said he could understand a ban for smoking in smaller spaces, but he saidit doesn't make sense in larger areas where people can move away from a crowd and thensmoke.

"Banning it in public spaces like a public park that's just idiotic," he said.

He also said the fine of $100 is too much, andhesaid$25 or $50 seemed more reasonable.

Dayle King, from England, visitedthe Plaza de la Constitucion on Monday. He said the proposed ban makes sense for areas where a lot of people are congregating who might not want to be exposed to smoke.

"It's a good thing, especially in a place like St. Augustine," he said.

Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline asked whether the law would apply to community gardens. Lopez said she plans to bring back that informationat the final reading.

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St. Augustine officials could ban smoking and vaping in parks - St. Augustine Record