State Senate president’s son urges him to combat vaping

TALLAHASSEE — As state lawmakers ponder how or if respond to teenagers’ skyrocketing attraction to vaping, one university student with a family tie is influencing the Florida Senate leader’s stance on the issue.

Senate President Bill Galvano has made curbing vaping one of his priorities for the legislative session that starts Jan. 14, in part because his son William urged him to combat the widespread use of e-cigarettes among students.

“He said, ‘Dad, you should see the prevalence on campus,’” Galvano said in a recent interview. “He said, ‘You have to do something.’”

Galvano joked that the advice from his son, who attends Florida State University, is “usually better advice than I get from a lot of other sources.”

But the Bradenton Republican is serious about taking on a topic that’s garnered pushback from some other state leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“I feel like we have to take a hard look at it, politically popular or not,” Galvano said.

The focus comes amid a national outcry over what some health officials consider an epidemic among young people, as vaping engulfs middle and high schools, as well as college campuses. Also, it comes after injuries and deaths from vaping-related lung injuries in Florida and across the country.

“I’m very concerned about what I see happening with vaping and who is vaping and the medical issues that arise,” Galvano said.

Florida law restricts the use of e-cigarettes or vaping products to people 18 or older, the same as the legal age for smoking tobacco.

Galvano said he’s considering the possibility of raising the vaping age to 21, along with other measures, such as increased penalties for retailers who sell e-cigarettes or vaping products to minors.

“The age issue is big. Having real teeth in enforcement on sales to minors is important,” he said.

very short, and usually does not accumulate on the ground. Conditions have to be just right for flurries/snowfall, otherwise it will be a cold rain.”

Translation: Don’t waste your money on a snow shovel.

It can get frosty every decade or so. Home Depot probably sold a lot of ice scrapers as last-minute Christmas gifts in 1989, however. There was so much ice on the roads, the state shut down Interstates 10 and 95 on Dec. 23.

There were roving blackouts to keep the entire state electrical grid from being overwhelmed. It was 22 degrees on Christmas morning in Orlando.

But alas, no snow. Ocean effect, or otherwise.

So to answer this week’s timely question, Orlando has never had a white Christmas since records were kept. But as the song says, we can always dream of one.

It would make for a memorable and fun holiday, as long as you remember to keep flushing your toilet.