One reader wants to know if the City of Gulfport will implement a beach smoking ban. Here’s what the City told us. Philip Penrose/City of Gulfport
This week, a reader wants to know about the possibility of a Gulfport beach smoking ban.
Question: Why is Gulfport not on the soon to be beach banned smoking, vaping list? —James Schroeder
Answer: Some people may not realize this, but Gulfport tried to enact a smoking ban in 2011 — and it immediately caused legal problems for the City.
“In November of 2011, the City of Gulfport was one of the first communities in Florida to adopt such an ordinance (Ord. No. 2011-13) prohibiting the use of tobacco products on the City’s municipal beach,” City Manager Jim O’Reilly told The Gabber Newspaper. “Subsequently, the ordinance was legally challenged and set aside.”
O’Reilly did say City staff would monitor the bans to see if they “stand up to the anticipated legal challenges” before proposing a similar ban.
Your City Questions, Answered
Do you have a question about something in your community? Send it to The Gabber Newspaper, and we’ll do our best to get you the answer. Email your questions to news@thegabber.com or drop them off at our office (2908-B Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport – right across from Stella’s). If you don’t want us to use your name in the newspaper, let us know when you submit your question. We edit the questions for clarity, syntax, and grammar, so the question you read may differ slightly from what someone submitted. The Gabber Newspaper will not alter the intent of the question.
A recent City Whys asked about the vacant lot on Gulfport’s Shore Boulevard.
