Miami Beach: No vaping in city parks

MIAMI BEACH – On the same day Florida’s attorney general launched an investigation into vaping companies in the state, Miami Beach officials decided to ban vaping in public parks in the city — effective immediately.

The city’s decision Wednesday beefs up the existing prohibition on smoking in city parks.

“Nicotine has documented detrimental health effects, especially on adolescents, and ecigarettes are rapidly becoming an emerging health care crisis in our schools and have no place in our parks,” Mayor Dan Gelber said in a statement released by the city.

Also on Wednesday, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the investigation into more than 20 vaping companies in the state after health officials indicated that Florida had one death and 68 cases of lung injury that can be attributed to e-cigarettes.

Two of the companies being probed are in Broward County, one is in Palm Beach County and three are in Miami-Dade, according to information provided by Moody’s office.

The investigation will focus on assessing whether the companies are unfairly targeting minors in their marketing, failing to take adequate precautions to prevent the sale of such products to minors, deceptively and unfairly representing that their products can help smokers quit the habit without the approval of federal regulators to make such claims.

The state probe will also seek to discover whether vaping companies are misleading consumers regarding the safety and health impacts of e-cigarettes, or otherwise engaging in marketing and other business practices that violate Florida’s consumer protection laws, state officials said.