PUNTA GORDA, Fla.–Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on June 17 that allows local leaders to restrict, even ban, smoking on Florida’s public beaches.
Passed with near-unanimous approval by the state legislature in March, HB 105 will take effect on July 1.
Designed to build on the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act (FCIAA), its purpose is to protect people from the health hazards of secondhand tobacco smoke and vapor, according to the Florida Department of Health website.  In November 2002, 71 percent of Florida’s citizens voted for a constitutional amendment to prohibit smoking in all enclosed indoor workplaces.  The smoke-free law became effective July 1, 2003. Beginning July 1, 2019, electronic vapor products were included in the FCIAA and are prohibited in indoor workplaces, the website went on to say….