Sarasota County bans smoking on beaches
Sarasota County commissioners blew out the smoke on county beaches Tuesday, approving the no smoking ordinance Tuesday by a 4 to 1 margin. The vote took less than an hour.
Cigarette butts litter Siesta Beach in Sarasota County for now, but that's all changing.
Lesille Edilla is a smoker and wants to puff on the beach. "Quite honestly, I do throw them in the ocean. But just recently with all this harassment going on, I will start carrying a plastic bag with me but it's completely unnecessary."
County commissioner Shannon Staub tells us it's about taking care of the environment. "Cigarette butts are the biggest littering aspect that we have in the county and this is so detrimental, not just for our marine life when they get swept into the gulf."
Some say smokers use the sand as an ash tray. We even found a cigarette receptacle with butts at the base.
Non-smoker John Linzmayer's words sum up his feelings. "It's deplorable, it's disgusting. Anytime you go to a pristine place like this, you want it to stay in its natural state and you definitely don't want to see cigarette butts."
The beaches affected by the ordinance: Siesta Key Beach, Turtle Beach, Nokomis Beach, North Jetty, Casperson Beach, Manasota, and Blind Pass.
Edilla wants to continue smoking on the sand like these people but his days are numbered. "People are being mean here in paradise, and it's a place to relax and enjoy and it's my redemption here and this whole smoking thing is a way to exercise hate."
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