Davis measuring support for beach smoking ban

Publication Date: 2013-02-10

• Author:Kelly Poe
• Publication:Star News Online

A bill to give New Hanover beach towns the power to enforce smoking bans on the beaches could go through the state legislature within months.

Rep. Ted Davis, R-New Hanover, is assessing support within the legislature for the bill, and if there is enough backing, he will begin the drafting process, he said. The process could begin in as soon as two weeks, but it could take much longer if reactions aren't primarily positive, he said.

"I've already started the ball rolling, and I want to get it done as quickly as possible," Davis said. "Things move a lot slower in Raleigh than they do locally."

Wrightsville Beach voters approved a smoking ban on the town's beaches in November with the support of about 65 percent of voters. The Carolina Beach Town Council also passed a smoking ban in August.

Ocean beaches in North Carolina are considered state property, but Wrightsville is an exception because it owns a large portion of its beach. But there's a conflicting law that says parts of the beach that have been renourished are under state control, so there are enforcement questions on large chunks of the beach, Town Manager Tim Owens said...