Orange County Bans Smoke Shops Near Schools

0:00It's April 9th. Welcome to Teba Bay News today, powered by AI. Orange County commissioners are pushing hard to keep smoke shops at least 1,000 feet away from schools, just like liquor stores. They zeroed in on the Skywalker smoke and vape shop right next to Olympia High School as a prime example of the problem. Commissioner Nicole Wilson called out the shop's bright neon signs and Candy Rapper vibes designed to lure kids in. She noted vaping often leads straight to tobacco use, backing it up with centers for disease control warnings, and the board seems on board with, drafting new buffer zone rules. Teen showed up to the meeting fired up, with 116 year old from Horizon High, describing daily vaping in bathrooms and classes. He said, easy access fuels addiction, wrecking grades, health, and family ties, while other commissioners echoed that these shops target young crowds on purpose. Meanwhile, counties like Alachua and Hillsboro already enforce similar distances, 1,000 feet in Alachua for new tobacco spots, 500 feet in Hillsboro for vape shops.

1:04Orange County staff are mapping land use to avoid just shoving businesses to the next neighborhood. Expect a formal proposal by late summer, aiming to protect kids without unintended fallout for local spots.