Key West officials banned smoking and vaping at Key West’s parks and beaches when they met on Feb. 7. But, not entirely.
Cigar smoking is still allowed because — for reasons largely unknown — the state won’t let local governments restrict it. The city commission also can’t restrict the use of prescription medications, which for millions of Americans now includes marjuana.
So, while the goal is eliminating cigarette butts from beaches and parks, it’ll be interesting to see how enforcement of the new ban goes.
Here’s the legal language of the new ban: “It shall be prohibited for any person within the boundaries of any City-owned public beach (and park) to smoke, burn, ignite, inhale, exhale or possess any cigarette, pipe, or other lighted tobacco product other than an unfiltered cigar.
(b) It shall be further prohibited for any person within the boundaries of any City-owned public beach to use vapor-generating devices (for the inhalation of nicotine, CBD or similar non-prescription substances). (c) Any person who violates subsection (a) or (b) commits a noncriminal violation, punishable by a fine of not more than $100 for the first violation and not more than $500 for each subsequent violation.”
The commission on Feb. 7 also spent time discussing the selection process for a new city manager and city attorney. (See story on page 4 for those details.)
Officials also approved a change to the city’s garbage collection contract with Waste Management to help defray rising fuel costs. Basically, the residential rate for garbage collection, which the city pays, will rise by 78 cents a month. Also, Waste Management will only provide two bulk pickups — furniture, appliances and other large objects — per household each year. For additional pickups, the company will levy a charge based on weight.
Finally, City Manager Patti McLauchlin told the elected officials that she expects to hire a new housing coordinator in the next week.
The $175,000-a-year job has been budgeted and was previously held by Demetria Simpson, who left after four months on the job.
Commissioner Lissette Carey asked, “What’s the rush?” with regard to the new director, given the impending hiring of a new city manager.
Mayor Teri Johnston pointed out that housing is the city’s and its residents’ top priority, as outlined on the city’s strategic plan. Johnston also said that Simpson had made more progress on housing in four months than the mayor had seen in 15 years.
Carey, who works for the Key West Housing Authority, “respectfully” disagreed with the mayor, and instead credited the local housing agencies, saying she has witnessed firsthand the effective cooperation among AH Monroe, Habitat for Humanity, the housing authority and others.
“I can attest that the agencies work really well together without someone coordinating that for $175,000 a year,” Carey said. “My understanding was that there wasn’t necessarily full support for that housing director position.”
The mayor told Carey that the decision was unanimous and “no one else in city hall has the time required to work with all the housing agencies.”
