Smoking and vaping will be prohibited at the Ocean Pier when it reopens this year in St. Augustine Beach. | St. Johns County
Published on August 5, 2026 at 2:29 pm
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No more smoking and vaping on St. Augustine Beach’s sands and in the city’s parks — that’s what elected officials decided this week.
The measure approved by the St. Augustine Beach City Commission restricts smoking and vaping not just on the city’s beaches and the currently closed Ocean Pier, but also at all of the city’s parks — even St. Augustine Beach’s smallest parkettes.
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Mayor Beth Sweeny said one motivating factor was to bring the city’s rules into line with St. Johns County’s. The county banned smoking and vaping in parks last year, as did Jacksonville Beach.
“The county has already adopted this language,” Sweeny said. “We are simply mirroring what the county has already done.”
That means smoking and vaping are banned in Ocean Hammock Park, the Pier Splash Park and any other park. In addition, the county now classifies e-cigarettes and other vaping products as litter.
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The new restrictions do not restrict unfiltered cigars. A state law passed in 2022 allows municipalities to restrict smoking and vaping in public parks and beaches, but prohibits restrictions on cigars.
