MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach City Commissioners voted on Wednesday to ban cigarette smoking and other tobacco products on the city’s public beaches and parks.
The proposal was sponsored by Miami Beach Vice Mayor Alex Fernandez.
“There are the right butts on the beach and then there are the wrong butts on the beach and the wrong butts are the cigarette butts,” said Fernandez.
The vote passed 5 to 1 with only Miami Beach City Commissioner Ricky Arriola voting against it.
“We shouldn’t be enforcing a law like this,” said Arriola. “Police have much more important pressing matters with regard to public safety to pursue than to take our precious resources and have them going out there on 7 miles of beach to tell people to put out their cigarette.”
Advocates say they hope this will lead to some much-needed changes on the beach.
VounteerCleanup.org member Dave Dopler told Local 10 News, “Cigarette butts are the number one most littered item on beach cleanups and we find thousands and thousands and thousands of them.”
“I’m not very interested in arresting people or getting people huge fines, but I want them to realize that beaches are not ashtrays,” said Dopler.
The only two exceptions to the smoking ban are unfiltered cigars and vapes.
The ban goes into effect on January 1st, 2023.
“Seven miles of beaches in Miami Beach, we’re going to keep them cleaner, we’re going to keep them healthier,” said Fernandez. “We’re going to keep them pristine so our residents and our visitors can enjoy a clean environment when they come to the world’s most famous beaches,”
According to a press release, the new ordinance carries a $100 fine or up to 60 days in jail for the first violation within a 12-month period.
“At the end of the day, prohibiting smoking on our beaches is in the best interest of everyone, most importantly the environment,” Fernandez said.