The Gainesville Public Safety Committee decided Wednesday night to recommend the City Commission ban smoking in Bo Diddley Community Plaza.
The commission will vote on the issue at a later meeting.
A ban would reduce the amount of secondhand smoke, which is harmful up to 20 feet away, said Steven Pokorny, director of health promotion for the Alachua County Health Department.
However, Commissioner Todd Chase said he thought the city should not put an ordinance into action if it is going to be too hard to enforce.
The committee also discussed candy-flavored tobacco and alcohol sales downtown.
Commissioner Jeanna Mastrodicasa, chair of the Public Safety Committee, said the committee is at a standstill in regards to whether the commission can ban the product in the city until the federal government decides its stance on the issue.
Contact Ben Brasch at bbrasch@alligator.org.
