Tobacco Free St. Johns is a community-wide, locally organized group collectively working towards eliminating initiation and use of tobacco and alternative nicotine products among St. Johns County residents, supporting tobacco policy change and educating decision makers about the impact of tobacco use and nicotine addiction on the lives of St. Johns County residents and visitors.

 

Persons under the age of 18 caught in possession, use or purchase of tobacco or nicotine products are committing a noncriminal violation. Minors will be issued a citation by law enforcement, punishable by:
1st Violation: Pay $30 fine, or complete 16 hours of community service, AND attend the approved anti-tobacco education class within 30 days.
2nd Violation within 12 weeks: Pay additional $30 fine within 30 days. 
3rd Violation within 12 weeks: Driver’s license revoked or issuance withheld.

If your child received a tobacco citation, click here for the information brochure. The required education class is taught by EPIC Behavioral Healthcare.

If your child needs to complete the Tobacco Citation Education Class, you must visit www.epicbh.org/tobacco to register.

Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) is Florida's statewide youth organization working to mobilize, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. SWAT is a united movement of empowered youth working towards a tobacco free future.

Youth in SWAT are engaged in activities that educate their peers and policy makers about the need to change social norms related to tobacco. SWAT not only promotes leadership, but also helps develop speaking skills and creates opportunities for youth to grow as community advocates. On a local level, SWAT members participate in leadership workshops, local parades, commercial contests, art contests, writing contests, and various other anti-tobacco programming. Students participate in local events such as: Relay for Life, carnivals, community wellness events, parades, leadership retreats, youth rallies, & peer education activities.

To learn more about the Florida SWAT program, visit www.swatflorida.com. If you are interested in learning how to join the St. Johns County SWAT Chapter, please email our Community Engagement Specialist, Jacqueline Rush at jacqueline@civcom.com.

Not only do tobacco products devastate the human body, they cause havoc on the environment–ending up in our waterways, along beaches and in our parks. Cigarette butts account for an extraordinary amount of waste. An estimated 1.69 billion pounds, or 845,000 tons, of cigarette butts accumulate as litter in lakes, in oceans, on beaches and on the rest of the planet annually. Only 10 percent of cigarette butts are properly deposited in ash receptacles. In fact, cigarettes and cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. Tobacco Free St. Johns and SWAT members volunteer to clean-up local beaches and parks to bring awareness to the environmental impact of tobacco product litter. By educating community members about secondhand smoke and environmental issues of tobacco, we hope that more tobacco users will reconsider using tobacco in parks, playgrounds and beaches.

We work with local apartment and condo communities to identify and implement smoke-free policy strategies that can create healthier environments for their residents–and a healthier bottom line for the landlord. Smoke-free apartments are less expensive to rehabilitate for new renters and some insurance companies provide discounts for smoke-free property policies.

Learn more about the Florida Apartment Association's smoke-free housing certification program here.