Santa Rosa County tobacco coalition asks board to expand park and beach smoking bans to include vapes and smokeless products

Denise Manassa, chair of the Santa Rosa County Tobacco Coalition, asked the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 10 to update county policy so parks and beaches are explicitly tobacco‑free and to include smokeless tobacco products, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as vapes and vape “pods,” and new products such as nicotine pouches.

The coalition provided commissioners with a packet that included model local policies and existing ordinances from the cities of Milton and Gulf Breeze. Manassa said the county’s current park policy “just says the smoking of tobacco as defined shall be prohibited in any county park where such prohibited is posted,” and she urged the board to adopt more inclusive language so future products would not require repeated ordinance updates.

Manassa told the board the coalition’s mission is “to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use” across ages and product types and emphasized environmental impacts, including discarded cartridges at beaches and parks. James Rohrer, a Pace High School sophomore who identified himself as a member of the county’s Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) group, told commissioners: “Imagine with me you’re sitting on a beach with your family when suddenly a group of people walk past your chairs using vapes and dropping the empty cartridges in the sand,” and he warned of plastic, electronic and chemical waste entering waterways.

The coalition reminded commissioners that Florida state law sets the legal purchase age for tobacco and nicotine products at 21 and offered staff draft ordinance language and example signage. Manassa said signage need not be paid for by the county and indicated the Florida Department of Health and the coalition could support sign production.

No formal motion or vote to change county policy was recorded during the meeting. Commissioners thanked the presenters and invited them to provide additional materials; the packet was entered into the meeting backup. Actions discussed were limited to receiving the presentation and placing the materials in the record.

The coalition asked the county to consider updated ordinance language that would: - Add “smokeless tobacco,” “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS),” vapes and nicotine pouches to the county’s definition of tobacco products prohibited in posted parks and beaches. - Use inclusive phrasing to cover “new and emerging tobacco products” so the county would not need frequent future amendments.

The presentation drew positive comments from commissioners and public‑health supporters but produced no directive or formal next steps on Feb. 10. The coalition and student leaders said they will continue outreach and follow up with staff on draft ordinance language and sign logistics.

Looking ahead: The coalition requested that staff review the sample ordinances and that commissioners consider whether to place a draft amendment on a future agenda for formal consideration.