SANIBEL, Fla — People travel from all over the world to Sanibel’s beaches hoping to find seashells in the sand… not cigarette butts. A city councilman says he’s seen too many of them lately.
Fox 4’s Sanibel Community Correspondent, Austin Schargorodski, works in the area every day so he stays on top of what happens in city council meetings. That’s where he heard a conversation about possibly banning smoking on Sanibel beaches.
Watch to hear why the city is considering banning smoking on beaches, and what beachgoers think about it:
As the waves rolled in and wildlife played at Gulfside City Beach Park on Friday, several cigarette butts could be seen in the sand on what was otherwise a beautiful winter day.
It’s something Sanibel City Councilman Richard Johnson says he’s tired of seeing on city beaches. Because of that, during Tuesday’s city council meeting, he talked about the idea of a possible smoking ban.
“The number one item that we pick up are cigarette butts,” Johnson said. “Our beaches are there for everyone to enjoy, and I think smoking on our beaches takes away from that enjoyment in some cases.”
Many people Schargorodski spoke with on the beach agreed.
“The mess of cigarette butts everywhere. You know, it’s the worst thing I see,” one person said. “If people can’t pick up after themselves then I suppose a ban wouldn’t be a bad thing,” another added.
“Smokers have a tendency to litter their cigarette butts and I would prefer not to see that,” a third beachgoer said.
However, not everyone believes a complete ban is the answer.
Matt Procise said he thinks there are ways to smoke on the beach without bothering others.
“On a day like today where there’s wide open space and plenty of breeze, and I know I’m not blowing smoke in someone’s face, I enjoy it and hope I can retain that right for as long as I come to Sanibel,” Procise said.
Back in June, Lee County banned smoking and vaping in all of its parks and beaches. However, that ban does not apply to city-maintained beaches in Sanibel.
City leaders say a possible smoking ban will be placed on a future city council agenda for further discussion.
“I think we need to take a look at this, and it may be something that we want to take up,” Johnson said.
