SHALIMAR, Fla. (WKRG) — The Board of Okaloosa County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday, Jan. 17 to approve a smoking ban for all public beaches and parks.

The ordinance reads as follows:

Smoking and vaping prohibited within County-owned public parks and public beaches. It shall be prohibited for any person in or on any County-owned public park or public beach to smoke, burn, ignite, inhale, exhale or consume any cigarette, pipe, lighted tobacco product, electronic cigarette, or vapor producing device other than an unfiltered cigar.

The original wording made possessing a smoking device also fall under the prohibited umbrella but commissioners voted to strike that language.

The next step is enforcement of the ordinance which commissioners plan to be heavy on education first.

A recent beach clean-up display showed the impacts of cigarette filters on county beaches.

Review the full public hearing on the proposed ordinance online.

The City of Fort Walton Beach approved a similar ordinance in Dec. of 2022.