Folly to propose smoking ban

Council members to present plan May 27 to include bars, restaurants

Two council members are hoping that Folly Beach will be added to the state's growing list of smoke-free municipalities, but at least one Folly bar owner said a smoking ban would hurt his business.

Council members Laura Beck and Dave Stormer plan to present an ordinance to ban smoking inside all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, at the May 27 council meeting.

Beck said she is looking out for families who live on the beach, as well as restaurant and bar employees.

"I ran for (office to promote) a family-friendly Folly," Beck said. "As a mom, I don't take my kids to a place where there is smoking. I'm weighing the desires of people who live here, visit here and who have families on Folly," Beck said.

Beck said she and Stormer waited to propose a smoking ordinance for Folly until a ruling was made by the S.C. Supreme Court regarding smoking bans.

Business owners in Greenville challenged the legality of a citywide smoking ban, claiming they lost business from it. The state Supreme Court decided March 31 that cities and towns can indeed ban indoor smoking in public places.

The proposed smoking ordinance for Folly would be modeled after the Greenville ban, which still would allow smoking on outside decks and patios, Beck said.

"I think that every bar or restaurant has an outside space, which will allow for a smoking area, with the possible exception of (Planet) Follywood," Beck said.

She said the ordinance may exempt private clubs from the ban. The Sand Dollar on Center Street is Folly Beach's only private club, where members pay $1 per year for a membership card.

"That would be great, it would bring more business to us," said Bobbie Mims, who has been a bartender at the Sand

Dollar for three years. "The smokers are going to go to the place they can smoke."

Beck said she was concerned about the economic impact of a smoking ban on beach businesses, but noted that many popular Folly bars and restaurants are voluntarily smoke-free. They include Taco Boy, the Lost Dog, Lil' Mama's, Surf Bar and Conch.

"They've all been extremely successful," Beck said.

However, DJ Rich, owner of Planet Follywood, said the number of businesses that are voluntarily smoke-free should be an argument against a citywide ban.

"Half the restaurants are nonsmoking," Rich said "(Bars) will lose a lot of business, especially mine."

Beck said she plans to meet with business owners about the proposed smoking ban.

"I'll send a letter to managers and owners inviting them to sit down and talk so they can outline their concerns," Beck said.

Rich said he would be willing to do that, but already has started a petition against the ban. "They should leave (the decision) up to businesses," Rich said.

His other issue with the ban is enforcement. "There are codes and ordinances they don't have (enough) people to enforce now," Rich said. "Will we have to hire more policemen?"

Beck said she knows it's a controversial issue, and there are strong opinions on both sides.

She said it would take "a groundswell of support from businesses and residents" for the ordinance to pass. She added that the city also would need to address the possible increase in discarded cigarettes if a smoking ban were to go into effect.

Beck said some other council members aren't in favor of a citywide smoking ban and think businesses should be able to choose for themselves.

Folly Mayor Carl Beckmann is one of those people. He said government should not be legislating smoking bans.

"That's going a little bit above and beyond," Beckmann said. "I wouldn't call it my or the city's official position, but personally, the businesses need to decide the issue themselves.

"If you used to smoke and now you don't, you're the first one to raise the issue," Beckmann said. "They say, '(secondhand smoke) is killing me.' Well, don't go in there."

Other governments in South Carolina that have adopted smoke-free workplace ordinances are Aiken County, Beaufort County, Bluffton, Charleston, Clemson, Columbia, Greenville, Hilton Head Island, Liberty, Mount Pleasant, Surfside Beach and Sullivan's Island.