More Florida colleges ban smoking

MIAMI, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- More colleges in Florida say they're adding outdoor smoking to their ban on indoor smoking to reduce second-hand smoke and litter.

One of the schools is the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, which bans outdoor smoking at its stadium and medical facilities and will ban outdoor smoking entirely in July 2010.

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, has restricted smoking to 20 spots on campus and plans to become smoke-free within a year, while the University of Miami plans to ban all smoking on its medical campus in January, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Monday.

Southeastern University in Davie, Palm Beach Community College and Broward College also have imposed tighter restrictions, the Sentinel reported, noting about 365 colleges nationwide have banned smoking on campus.

Florida Atlantic senior David Friedman, a smoker, said he supports designated areas for smoking but opposes the campus-wide ban.

"If you have to go off campus to smoke, that would be ridiculous," Friedman said.