05-30-2008, 01:38 PM
Back in 2002, Florida passed the smoking ban in restaurants and workplaces. The tourism and restaurant industries howled that this was going to kill them, since a large number of tourists (especially here in Orlando) are foreigners, who apparently smoke a lot more than Americans, and they would stop coming here if they couldn't smoke.
Didn't work that way. Once the bill passed, we never heard anything more about it. Tourism has gone up steadily over the last 6 years. In fact, there was a bar near where I work called "The Smokee Tavern", that had a big sign outside that was in the shape of a pack of cigarettes, who proudly announced that they were exempt from the ban (since they didn't serve enough food to qualify). They were open for a couple of years before they closed down.
I'm with cbelt. They should ban smoking entirely.
Didn't work that way. Once the bill passed, we never heard anything more about it. Tourism has gone up steadily over the last 6 years. In fact, there was a bar near where I work called "The Smokee Tavern", that had a big sign outside that was in the shape of a pack of cigarettes, who proudly announced that they were exempt from the ban (since they didn't serve enough food to qualify). They were open for a couple of years before they closed down.
I'm with cbelt. They should ban smoking entirely.