Proposal would ban butts from beach

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A Miami Beach commissioner wants to ban smoking on the beaches of one of South Florida's most famous resorts.

Jerry Libbin's proposal is part of a larger effort to keep Miami Beach litter free, The Miami Herald reports.

''When people smoke on the beach, there is no ashtray,'' Libbin said. ``I don't want to be rummaging through the sand and picking up someone's cigarette butts.''

Environmentalists hail the plan. Luiz Rodriguez of the Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach said that cigarette butts are an environmental problem as well as an aesthetic one because they take years to decompose and are a hazard to birds and other animals.

Beachgoers appear split on the issue -- with some smokers supporting a ban. Manu Weishaupt, a tourist from Germany by way of New York, said she has learned not to smoke where it is forbidden.

Glenn Palumbo, a local resident who makes daily visits to South Beach and smokes there, thinks a ban would be unenforceable.

"People are going to smoke no matter what," he said.