Commissioner Michael Owen Fights to Keep Vaping Away from Schools

Hillsborough County in Florida has been at the forefront of the battle against youth vaping for years. In March, the county commissioners approved a temporary ban on new vaping stores within 500 feet of public and private schools. This was a great step in the right direction, but Commissioner Michael Owen has gone further, spearheading an effort to make the ban permanent.

In April, the Hillsborough County board met to discuss the proposed amendment to the Hillsborough County Land Development Code (LDC) that would make the temporary ban on new vaping stores permanent. This article will discuss the proposed amendment, why Commissioner Owen is pushing for it, and the dangers of youth vaping.

Proposed Amendment to the Hillsborough County Land Development Code (LDC)

According to Commissioner Owen, the proposed amendment to the LDC would affect shops near schools that conduct sales of vaping products in excess of 20 percent of total monthly retail sales. This includes devices like electronic cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and pipes that use an electronic, chemical, or mechanical means to produce vapor or aerosol from a vapor product containing nicotine or any other substance. Replacement cartridges for these devices are also included.

The amendment would not punish buyers of vaping products but would prevent vaping retailers from marketing to youth. Commissioner Owen believes that vaping stores are advertising themselves, and this is particularly troubling when they are located near schools. He noted one vaping store in particular that sits across the street from an elementary school in Valrico, stating that the store's cartoon characters on the windows were marketing to kids.

Commissioner Michael Owen's Initiative

Commissioner Owen has bipartisan support for the proposed amendment to the LDC. He has not heard a lot of negative feedback from the business community since the temporary moratorium took hold on March 1. However, public hearings on the issue are scheduled for April 19 and May 3, and it remains to be seen if the support will hold.

According to a vaping report that Commissioner Owen requested in December, county staff identified approximately 200 permitted retailers that sell vaping devices or products within 500 feet of a public or private school campus as of Feb. 15. The study reviewed a database of 289 elementary, middle, and high schools. The number of permits issued for selling retail tobacco, nicotine, and hemp products amounted to 1,985 permits countywide.

Commissioner Owen is aware that legal challenges could arise if they try to shut down vaping shops that are already established legally under the existing laws. However, he believes they can prevent any more of them from opening up within 500 feet of any elementary, junior, or high school, public, private, or charter. He stated that the last thing he wants to do as an elected official is to restrict businesses, but when it comes to the protection of youth, that is priority number one.

Commissioner Owen's initiative calls for county officials to provide a public awareness and education campaign about the dangers of youth vaping. According to the county's Feb. 15 report, a joint study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 2.55 million middle and high school students reported current (past 30-day) e-cigarette use in 2022. Nearly 85 percent of these students used flavored e-cigarettes, and more than half used disposable e-cigarettes.

Additionally, the 2022 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey Report indicates that 22.9 percent of middle and high school students in Hillsborough County reported having tried tobacco or electronic vapor products. The CDC reports that “most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm brain development, which continues into the early mid-twenties.”

Conclusion

Commissioner Michael Owen's efforts to further the fight against youth vaping in Hillsborough County is an important step towards protecting young people from the dangers of nicotine addiction. The proposed amendment to the LDC will help prevent new vaping stores from opening up near schools and marketing to youth, while the public awareness and education campaign will inform the community about the risks associated with vaping.

The county's previous ordinance that addresses the sale, possession, and use of vape devices or vaping products to anyone under the age of 21 was a good start, but more needs to be done to combat the epidemic of youth vaping. Commissioner Owen's initiative is an important step in the right direction.

FAQs:

• What is the proposed amendment to the Hillsborough County Land Development Code (LDC)? The proposed amendment would make the temporary ban on new vaping stores near schools permanent and would affect shops near schools that conduct sales of vaping products in excess of 20 percent of total monthly retail sales.

• What is Commissioner Owen's initiative? Commissioner Owen's initiative calls for county officials to provide a public awareness and education campaign about the dangers of youth vaping.

• Why is youth vaping dangerous? According to the CDC, most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm brain development, which continues into the early mid-twenties.

• What is the goal of the proposed LDC amendment? The goal of the proposed LDC amendment is to prevent new vaping stores from opening up near schools and marketing to youth.

• What is the number of permitted retailers that sell vaping devices or products within 500 feet of a public or private school campus in Hillsborough County? As of Feb. 15, county staff identified approximately 200 permitted retailers that sell vaping devices or products within 500 feet of a public or private school campus.