By Staff Report
Park, Etta Mae Park, and Middlebrooks Park on becoming tobacco free. This new ordinance is aimed at protecting our children’s health, supporting tobacco users who want to quit, and keeping the community clean.
Tobacco free spaces support the community in many ways. These spaces improve health by
providing fewer opportunities for youth to start smoking and reducing secondhand smoke
exposure. According to the Florida Department of Health, across the nation, cigarettes are by far the most littered item in the country. Cigarette butts are harmful if ingested by children, pets, or other animals. These ordinances aim to help lower cigarette litter, encourage people to make healthy choices, and increase quit attempts. The Florida Department of Health encourages those interested in these benefits for their community to help by contacting Arely Sapp to learn more, at [email protected] or 850-614-6070.
The Florida Department of Health’s Tobacco Free Florida campaign is a statewide cessation
and prevention campaign funded by Florida’s tobacco settlement fund. Since the program
began in 2007, more than 295,000 Floridians have successfully quit using one of Tobacco Free
Florida’s free tools and services. There are now approximately 451,000 fewer adult smokers in
Florida than there was 10 years ago, and the state has saved $17.7 billion in health care costs.
GARETT VALCOURT 
Hannah Collins 