DeBary poised to ban puffs in play areas

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DeBary poised to ban puffs in play areas
STOCK DEPOSITPHOTOS

With no opposition, the DeBary City Council has moved to prohibit most smoking in public parks.

“I think this is a step forward,” Mayor Karen Chasez said Feb. 7, after the council voted unanimously on first reading for an ordinance prohibiting smoking in parks. “I do support not having secondhand smoke around children.”

The authority for cities and counties to regulate smoking in their public recreational facilities comes from a law passed by the Florida Legislature last year.

The ban, if enacted on second and final reading, would apply to cigarettes, filtered cigars, pipes and vapes, but it would not apply to unfiltered cigars.

“We’re not allowed to regulate unfiltered cigars,” DeBary Parks and Recreation Director Jason Schaitz told the council.

The no-smoking zones would include bleachers, other seating areas, amphitheaters, gyms, parking lots, picnic areas and restrooms.

If the ordinance wins passage on second reading, signs warning against smokiness will be posted in the parks. Violators of the smoking ban may face a fine of as much as $250.

The DeLand City Commission passed a similar measure on first reading Feb. 5.

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