Senate committee advances bill to ban smoking and vaping pot in public
By News Service of Florida
January 22, 2026 at 10:47 PM EST
The measure would prohibit smoking or vaping marijuana in a variety of places, such as streets, parks, beaches, government buildings, office buildings, lodging establishments and restaurants.
With a recreational marijuana constitutional amendment possibly going on the November ballot, a Florida Senate committee Tuesday approved a bill that would bar smoking and vaping pot in public places.
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee unanimously backed the measure (SB 986), filed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota.
The bill would revise a longstanding law that prevents smoking tobacco in most workplaces. It would also prohibit smoking or vaping marijuana in a variety of places, such as streets, parks, beaches, government buildings, office buildings, lodging establishments and restaurants.
Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, a Homestead Republican who presented the bill for Gruters, said state law doesn’t currently include a prohibition on pot smoking in such places.
The political committee Smart & Safe Florida is trying to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow recreational use of marijuana. The committee still needs to meet a petition-signatures requirement and get approval of the proposed ballot wording from the Florida Supreme Court.
Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, has filed a similar bill (HB 389) in the House.
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee unanimously backed the measure (SB 986), filed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota.
The bill would revise a longstanding law that prevents smoking tobacco in most workplaces. It would also prohibit smoking or vaping marijuana in a variety of places, such as streets, parks, beaches, government buildings, office buildings, lodging establishments and restaurants.
Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, a Homestead Republican who presented the bill for Gruters, said state law doesn’t currently include a prohibition on pot smoking in such places.
The political committee Smart & Safe Florida is trying to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow recreational use of marijuana. The committee still needs to meet a petition-signatures requirement and get approval of the proposed ballot wording from the Florida Supreme Court.
Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, has filed a similar bill (HB 389) in the House.