Betti Stradling Park by Talk Media
Coral Springs city commissioners have passed a new law banning smoking in all 49 city parks, officials said Monday.
The ordinance, passed by the commission August 7, applies to all areas within any park owned and operated by Coral Springs and bans all forms of smoking including cigarettes, pipes, and electronic smoking devices.
According to the city, there were no previous laws regarding smoking in Coral Springs parks.
A state law passed by Florida legislators in 2022 gave municipal governments like Coral Springs the authority—long sought by local officials—to regulate all forms of tobacco smoking, including vaping, in public parks and beaches owned by Florida municipalities or counties.
Municipalities previously lacked the legal authority to pass comprehensive smoking bans in those spaces.
“The adoption of this ordinance keeps our parks free of tobacco, secondhand smoke, and cigarette butts, which allows the city to better maintain clean, healthy, and enjoyable green spaces within our 49 city-run parks,” Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook said in a written statement.
Signs informing parkgoers of the new law will be placed throughout city parks, and information about the ordinance shared with sports leagues and other parkgoing groups, officials said.
People who violate the smoking law can be issued a civil infraction citation with a potential fine.
According to the city, cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the U.S., with exposure to secondhand smoke causing around 41,000 deaths annually.
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