Indian Rocks Beach wants to hit cigarette butt litterers where in hurts -- in the wallet

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. - The City of Indian Rocks Beach wants you to enjoy your time in the city.  They just don't want you to leave your cigarette butts at the beach, or anywhere else. Mayor R.B Johnson said the butts are "disgusting."

Now, the city wants to expand its current litter ordinance to specifically include cigars and cigarettes as well as increasing the potential fine to $500.

"There were a number of people in the community who were concerned that cigarette litter and that cigarette related smoking activities were having an adverse impact to our beaches and our parks," explained Johnson.

Unlike the City of Gulfport that prohibits smoking on the beach, Indian Rocks' city leaders think that putting teeth into their litter ordinance will help keep the butts from building up.

"It really should be up to the people who are doing the smoking to take care of this problem themselves," said Johnson.

One of those people that's helping to take care of their own butts is Mike Curran.  The Indians Rocks Beach resident likes to smoke while he fishes at the beach, AND has an interesting approach to discarding his cigarette butt.

"What I do is I flick it out and I put it in my pocket, which irritates my wife," said Curran.

But even with multiple choices nearby, people still will not participate in proper butt disposal.

Phil Hanna, vice mayor of Indian Rocks Beach pointed to a metal container mounted to a post at one of the beach access walkways.

"This is obviously a cigarette butt receptacle and unfortunately, if you'll pan down you'll see the cigarette butt right there," said Hanna referring to the many cigarette butts that were on the ground under the container.

Beach resident Jennifer Busciglio doesn't believe in over-governing peoples lives.  But in this case, it's appropriate.

"I'm all for raising the fine and making people responsible and accountable for littering and littering their butts," said Busciglio

The Indian Rocks Beach City Commission will have their first reading of the ordinance Tuesday at city hall.