Hillsborough County leaders vote to ban vape shops from opening near schools for next 6 months
TAMPA, Fla. - After a three-minute discussion at a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted 7-0 to pass an ordinance, which will suspend new vape shops from opening up near schools.
The proposed ordinance will provide for a six-month suspension on vaping retail shops setting up within 500 feet of any public or private school in the county.
The move would apply to areas surrounding elementary, middle and secondary schools. Existing stores that are already in business will not be impacted.
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Commissioners already adopted the ordinance in May 2023, but it was later voided under a senate bill that restricted and undid decisions made by local governments within 100 miles of Hurricane Ian's landfall.
In December, the Florida Legislature amended the bill to remove Hillsborough County from the effective area, paving the way for commissioners to move forward with public hearings on banning new vape shops for a second time.
Hillsborough commissioner Michael Owen, who proposed the ordinance and was the only commissioner to comment during Wednesday’s discussion on the matter, suggested some vape stores’ marketing appears to target young children.
"If you drive around, you can see that the way they advertise on the front of their mirrors, they have cartoon characters and things like that. And if you walk in one, it’s selling candies and all kinds of stuff. To me, that’s not marketing to us, that’s marketing to kids," Owen said.
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Dannie Jones owns Smokey Jones on Hillsborough Avenue and has been selling vape products there for six years.
"I think it’s overdue," Jones said of the ordinance. "I think that’s something that should come to anyone's mind when they go to open a smoke and vape shop that, you know, your customer base isn't an elementary school or any school at that."
The shop owner said his customer base ranges in age from 21-55 years old.
"I'm for this ordinance," Jones said. "As a parent, I think it's something that should have been in play. If you can see a vape store from the school, I think it's a bad idea."
According to the county, this ordinance is a temporary measure until amendments can be made to the Land Development Code that will regulate these establishments.
Around 2.8 million middle and high school students in the U.S. use tobacco products, according to the FDA’s annual National Youth Tobacco Survey. The 2023 data also shows tobacco use decreased among high school students and increased among middle school students.