Countywide smoking ban approved last week

Orange County Commissioner Earl McKee has seen firsthand the negative effects of smoking — but he doesn’t think the county should have the power to ban smoking in all public places.

On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 for the ban that will prohibit smoking on sidewalks, government grounds, public transportation and retail stores.

Bernadette Pelissier, chairwoman of the board, said she supported the ban because of the proven consequences of secondhand smoke exposure.

McKee — a 40-year tobacco farmer and former smoker — was the only commissioner to vote against the ban.

“I voted against it primarily because it’s a government overreach into private property,” he said. “It does reach into businesses — it also reaches into offices, industrial sites and manufacturing sites.”

The ban will go into effect Jan. 1, though no citations will be given during the first six months while the public is educated about the ban.

After the initial period, McKee said, people will receive two warnings, then they will incur a $25 fine for each additional offense.

Businesses who do not enforce the ban will be fined $200 after the second warning, McKee said.

“I think it will be too difficult to enforce to make any difference,” he said.

And he worries about the future implications of the ban.

“I think we need to be very careful when we use the force of law to regulate personal behavior,” McKee said.

But Pelissier said the primary goal of the ban is education — not enforcement.

“It’s all about education and empowerment — educating people where they can smoke and can’t smoke,” she said.

Public reaction to the ban has been mixed, though several preliminary hearings and surveys received positive support for the ban.

“It was time that we took the next step so that everyone does have safe air to breathe,” Pelissier said.

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