Thursday, April 03 2008
By JENNA BUZZACCO (
Naples Daily News)
Get used to it.
The smoke from cigarettes being lit in some areas of Naples won't be disappearing any time soon.
Naples City Council on Wednesday rejected an ordinance that would have banned smoking at all city-owned beaches and parks - four beach access points and about 30 parks throughout the city.
The ban also would have included the city's pier and dock. The vote to turn down the ban was 4-3.
Mayor Bill Barnett, Councilman John Sorey and Councilwoman Penny Taylor voted in favor of the ban.
"I’m disappointed," Barnett said after the meeting. "There was no sense on Monday these objections would appear. This was about maintaining the future."
Council on Monday saw a significant change in the interpretation of the original proposal. While council members had initially hoped to ban smoking on all of the beaches in the city, City Attorney Bob Pritt on Monday told council members they couldn't do it because the land doesn't technically belong to the city.
Story continues at naplesnews.com...
