City Proposes Smoking Ban At Playgrounds, Ballparks

The city of Port Orange could ban smoking in several city facilities. A proposed ordinance would make it illegal to light up on city property where children are playing. But some parents say city officials are just blowing smoke.

Smoke, Smoking, cigarettes, tobacco, generic Vivek Chugh/SXC Cigarettes, ashtray, smoking Cigarettes SMOKING, CIGARETTESSlideshow: FDA's Graphic Cigarette Warnings 5 Things: To Avoid Saying To Quitting SmokersSurvey: Best Way To Quit Smoking? Thank you for voicing your opinion in our online survey Should Cities Be Allowed To Ban Smoking? Do you think cities should have the right to ban smoking at city facilities where children are present? Yes No Not sure Anita Fromm brings her son to the park every weekend. She keeps watch from a distance and, every once and a while, she lights up a cigarette.

But a proposed ordinance going before the Port Orange City Council could make that illegal. The ordinance would ban smoking at any city facility where children are involved, mainly, playgrounds and ballparks.

"If I'm at a ballgame, I'm outside. Who am I hurting? I'm not hurting anybody but myself," says Fromm.

Other parents disagree. Keith Poulsen coached little league and recently quit smoking because of the health risk. He says there are plenty of places away from children to smoke.

"Well, there's a parking lot. You do what I did. Instead of lighting it up in the stands, I went out in the parking lot or go off in the woods. It's your habit, you control it so it doesn't bother other people," says Poulsen.

John Jackson, a former city council member, proposed the ordinance. He says this is about more than second-hand smoke. To him, it's also about setting a healthy example for children.

Thank you for voicing your opinion in our online survey! Support Banning Smoking Where Children Are Present? Would you support a ban on smoking in public areas where children are present? Yes No Not sure "The less we dangle this in front of them, the less tempting it is for them," says Jackson.

And if this gets passed, Jackson hopes other cities follow his lead.

"I think it violates my rights as a smoker. I'm not cooped up inside a building; I'm in a public place. I think I should be allowed to smoke outside," Fromm says.

The ordinance goes for it's first reading before the council Tuesday night.

Here are more details on Florida's existing smoking ban. It prohibits smoking at workplaces indoors, including restaurants. The exceptions include stand-alone bars, certain rooms in hotels, and home businesses that don't provide childcare. It has been in effect since last July.