Nassau County, FL Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Smoking buffer
- 20 feet from bleachers or dugouts
- Applies to
- County recreation parks, not beaches
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. No. 2000-46, amended through 2002
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine or 60 days jail
- Separate offense
- Each day of violation counted separately
Summary
Smoking is banned in the bleachers, dugouts and on the playing field at Nassau County recreation parks, allowed only starting twenty feet away from any bleacher or dugout. Code § 23½-72 applies to the county's inland recreation parks, not its oceanfront beach parks, which are governed by a separate article.
Smoking shall be prohibited in all bleachers, dugouts, and on any field and shall only be allowed a minimum of twenty (20) feet from any bleacher or dugout.
Full Breakdown
Section 23½-72, part of the county's recreation-park rules of conduct adopted under Ord. No. 2000-46 and later amendments, states that smoking shall be prohibited in all bleachers, dugouts, and on any field and shall only be allowed a minimum of twenty feet from any bleacher or dugout. , bans on verbal and physical abuse of officials, leash requirements for animals, and a prohibition on minors operating motorized park equipment. Section 23½-77 limits this whole set of rules, including the smoking ban, to the county's inland recreation parks and expressly states they shall not apply to county-owned or county-controlled oceanfront parks, which are instead governed by the separate Article II beach rules in the same chapter.
Those beach rules regulate alcohol, glass, litter, fires, and sound rather than smoking directly, so the twenty-foot bleacher and dugout buffer in § 23½-72 is specific to ballfields and similar recreation facilities, not the beach or general outdoor public spaces countywide.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 23½, including the § 23½-72 smoking limit, is punishable under § 23½-4(d) by a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, under F.S. § 125.69; each day the violation continues is a separate offense enforced by county parks staff or the Sheriff's Office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke in the bleachers at a Nassau County ballfield?
Does the smoking ban apply at Nassau County's beaches?
What's the penalty for smoking too close to a dugout?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nassau County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Nassau County to another location·View the Florida public conduct overview
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