Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/102968
Sarasota News Leader January 11, 2013 OPINION Sadly, one of the criteria employed by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University — aka Dr. Beach — in compiling his annual list of the top beaches in America, is whether smoking is allowed on the beaches being evaluated. The smoking ban on Siesta Beach, he reportedly has said, was a significant factor in catapulting it from a perennial Top Five ranking to the No. 1 spot. Page 63 of being behind the effort to limit the state law on smoking regulations from providing too much power to local governments. In fact, a bill to allow local government regulation was introduced in the Florida Senate last year and passed the Health Regulation Committee unanimously. That likely alarmed the tobacco lobby, which went to work against the bill, ensuring its subsequent demise in the The county is powerless to appeal the judge's Community Affairs Committee. decision unless the city appeals first. And the city attorney has indicated it is unlikely the Hectoring the Legislature to do the right thing city will do so. The only other recourse is to might be an exercise in Sisyphean futility, but have the Florida Legislature amend the state we are not excused from the effort. Local govlaw to provide local governments with more ernments and citizens in Sarasota and across latitude in regulating smoking in public areas, Florida must unite to bring pressure to bear as it did for local school districts in 2011. That, on legislators to either ban smoking in all public spaces or extend to local governments the sadly, is a scant hope. authority to do so. The state Legislature has distinguished itself in recent years as a body controlled almost Otherwise that pleasing crunch-crunch feelentirely by lobbyists, particularly since term ing when one walks barefoot on Siesta Beach limits for legislators went into effect. And will not be caused by almost pure crystalline there are few lobbies more powerful than the quartz. It will be caused by thousands of distobacco lobby. It already has been suspected carded, disease-ridden cellulose butts. Someone you know needs Planned Parenthood • Lifesaving cancer screenings • Parent & teen education • Annual GYN exams • Birth control Planned Parenthood Of Southwest And Central Florida • Sarasota 941-953-4060 • MyPlannedParenthood.org