Stamping out Cigarettes at Suwannee County's Local Parks and Rivers

By Colleen Cody

Here in Suwannee County, we are fortunate to have beautiful shared spaces like our parks and freshwater springs such as Little River Springs to enjoy with friends and family. With such good fortune comes the responsibility to keep these areas pristine and welcoming, not only for locals but also for visitors. Now is the time to take decisive action to safeguard destinations like these, which make Suwannee County a gem in Florida. It’s time to advocate for strong policies that keep deadly tobacco out of places like Royal Springs.

When the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act was updated recently, it empowered communities like ours to introduce new rules to make our local parks and rivers smoke-free. Suwannee County can now regulate the use of most tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, in these municipal locations. Many cities and counties throughout Florida have already taken this important step to protect our public places. You can support the Tobacco Free Partnership of Suwannee County by urging our county commissioners to join this progress and make our parks and freshwater springs smoke-free.

There are numerous reasons to update Suwannee County's laws. Smoke-free parks and rivers will boost our local economy by supporting tourism. Visitors are turned away by the sight of parks and rivers cluttered with cigarette butts—the single biggest source of litter. This change would also benefit the environment—cigarette butts pollute our waterways, harm wildlife, and pose ingestion risks to animals and young children. Discarded vapes, pods, and other e-cigarette components add to the dangerous litter threatening our community. Removing smoking and vaping from locations like First Federal Sportsplex will reduce exposure to potentially deadly secondhand smoke.

Most importantly, if we commit to making Suwannee County's parks and freshwater springs places for active, healthy outdoor lifestyles rather than spots for tobacco use, we can model positive health behaviors for our youth.

Over a dozen locations across Florida have already implemented or are considering new policies to keep tobacco and e-cigarettes out of parks and rivers. Contact our county commissioners today and tell them you want a clean, safe, and healthy Suwannee River.

For more information, visit https://tobaccofreeflorida.com/get-involved/

Colleen Cody, Vice Chair, Tobacco Free Suwannee