Safety Harbor Adopts Flavored Tobacco Resolution

Members of the Pinellas County chapter of Students Working Against Tobacco, or SWAT, held a presentation May 6 for the Safety Harbor City commission outlining the dangers of selling flavored tobacco products in the community. 

Afterward, Mayor Joe Ayoub said he was impressed with the presentation and distressed at the news that tobacco companies are specifically marketing their products to kids via colorful packaging and fruity flavoring. 

The commission acted upon SWAT’s request Monday night, adopting a resolution urging merchants to stop selling flavored tobacco products in Safety Harbor: 

The City urges all local retailers of tobacco products, where youth have access in their stores to tobacco merchandise, to cease the sale and marketing of all flavored tobacco in order to reduce the exposure and use of tobacco products by the youth population.

The resolution shall take place immediately upon its passage and adoption. 

“SWAT brought this to our attention at the last meeting, and their presentation was inspiring,” Mayor Ayoub said after Monday’s meeting.

“The tobacco companies are saying they need to attract more young people to their products. It’s just mind boggling to me.” 

SWAT is a statewide youth organization that, according to its website, is “working to mobilize, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco.” 

According to Samantha Staley, the SWAT coordinator for Pinellas County, the problem of selling and marketing flavored tobacco is an especially dangerous one to our youth. 

“No one likes to hear that 8,000 Pinellas County students are using tobacco and that almost 2,000 of those are in middle school,” Staley recently wrote to Patch via email. 

“But to hear that one of the leading reasons for these high numbers is due to the prevalence and ease of access to flavored tobacco products at retailers within ½ mile or 2 miles of schools (walking or biking distance) is a bit much to accept.” 

She said thanks to the dedication and determinations of the students involved, five resolutions have now been adopted favoring stricter flavored tobacco restrictions in the county.

“Since I have been with the program, the students have obtained resolutions from The City of Indian Rocks Beach, The City of Pinellas Park, and now The City of Safety Harbor,” Staley wrote.

“Adding these to the two we already had from The City of St Petersburg and The Board of County Commissioners, I would say that SWAT is well on its way to gaining the support of all municipalities in Pinellas County.”

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