WINTER PARK, Fla. — A new effort is underway to make Winter Park healthier for everyone who lives and visits there.
Channel 9's Janai Norman found that restaurants are voluntarily jumping on board the Breathe Free Winter Park program. The program aims to end smoking outside of the city's restaurants.
"Honestly, I don't see people smoking outside anymore," customer Olga Solomatina said.
Restaurants like Barney's Coffee Kitchen are now displaying Breathe Free Winter Park signs and balloons.
Twenty-one restaurants are voluntarily going smoke-free inside and outside.
"I think it's about time," Solomatina said.
The program was announced Monday with restaurant managers, owners and city leaders on hand. Officials said 10 percent of those who live in Winter Park are smokers.
Jill Hamilton of Healthy Winter Park told Norman that it was Winter Park residents asking for a more smoke-free environment that prompted the initiative.
"The residents told us that the experience of dining on Park Avenue or at any of our great Winter Park restaurants was being ruined by smoke, and they asked for our help," Hamilton said.
Restaurant owners who have joined the initiative told Eyewitness News that business has not been negatively impacted.
Officials said the program started with one smoke-free weekend in Winter Park Village, and the movement is continuing to expand.