Florida Senate Moves Forward With Vaping Ban
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - A plan to carry out Florida's voter-approved ban on vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes in workplaces got Senate approval Thursday.
Without debate, the Senate unanimously supported a proposal (SB 7012) by Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, that would implement the constitutional amendment, which was supported by 68.9 percent of voters in November.
The vaping ban was combined on the ballot with a ban on offshore oil drilling.
A House version of Simpson's bill (HB 7027) is ready to go to the full House.
The bills mirror how the state has carried out a longstanding ban on smoking tobacco in indoor workplaces. They also would add vaping to a state law that bars people under age 18 from smoking tobacco within 1,000 feet of schools.
The legislation would allow people to use e-cigarettes and other devices inside "vapor-generating electronic device" retailers and "retail vape shops."
As with the tobacco law, e-cigarette use wouldn't be restricted in private residences, stand-alone bars, designated hotel rooms, retail tobacco shops, facilities run by membership associations, facilities where medical and scientific research is conducted and designated smoking rooms at airports.
However, the measure would give local governments the ability to impose more restrictive regulations on vaping. Under Florida law, only the state can regulate smoking tobacco.
(©2019 CBS Local Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The News Service of Florida's contributed to this report.)
