TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Starting this week, people can no longer smoke cigarettes or vape on Treasure Island’s beaches or beach trail.

The Treasure Island City Commission voted to instate the ban citing an uptick of cigarette butts on the beaches and the environmental impact. The ordnance goes into effect immediately.

What You Need To Know

  • New ordinance takes effect immediately 

  • First offense is a warning, second could be $88 citation 

  • Police plan to educate beachgoers at first instead of issuing citations 

  • New rule also applies to restaurants with beach seating

The Treasure Island City Commission voted to install the ban citing an uptick of cigarette butts on the beaches and the environmental impact. The ordnance goes into effect immediately.

The Treasure Island Police Department doesn’t plan to start enforcement right away. First, signage will go up on the city’s beaches and police plan to educate smokers about the new ordinance. After a grace period, a person found smoking on the beach will first receive a warning and a second offense could result in an $88 citation.

According to a spokesperson for the city, the smoking ban also includes restaurants that have seating on the beach. Randy Esponda, CEO and managing parter of Caddy’s Restaurant, said they plan to comply with the new ordinance.

“As a company, we are always evolving our operations to safeguard our local beaches,” Esponda wrote in an email. “Caddy’s has worked hand in hand with the neighboring communities to keep our sands clean and we will always continue to do so. If the law passes to ban smoking on the beach, we would be the first ones ready to enforce it on our small piece of paradise.”

Smoking will still be allowed in public parking lots and in some beach areas between the beach trail and hotels that line Gulf Boulevard.

 

The hotel will have an option of making that part of the sand smoking or non-smoking and must maintain and keep the area clean. If a hotel does not have a license agreement with the city, then the area will be considered a public beach and will fall under the city ordinance.

 

Carrie Auerbach, founder of Treasure Island Adpot-A-Beach, was pleased to hear the city moved forward with the ban but says it’s important that all beachside cities are in sync.

“One beach has to be the same as the next beach otherwise, you just have people going from beach to beach trying to figure out where they can smoke,” she said.

Smoking will be allowed in public beach parking lots. Auerbach feels there are other solutions that should be considered for where people can lawfully smoke.

“Enforcement is going to be very difficult,” she said. “What I don’t want to see is a lot of angry people. We’ve got enough anger in this world right now… so we need to find a way to educate.”