Milestones

A Tobacco-Free Timeline 

Below you will find information regarding major moments in Sarasota County's progress fighting the negative impacts of tobacco. 

2014 Milestones 

• March 26th, 2014: Student Shining Star Award
  Sarasota Middle School SWAT member Marisol Sanchez-Silos was awarded the Sarasota County Student Shining Star Award by Sarasota Coalition on Substance Abuse. This award is given to students who have worked to prevent substance abuse in their community and who pledge to be drug, tobacco, and alcohol free.
• March 23rd, 2014: Baltimore Orioles Youth Baseball Day
  SWAT served as the primary sponsor for the Baltimore Orioles Youth Baseball Day event and Baltimore Orioles vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game. SWAT students hosted a table throughout the day to educate community members on the issue of flavored tobacco products and to promote the Not A Replacement campaign. Pine View SWAT Vice President, Paige Hansen, threw the ceremonial first pitch of the game. SWAT gained additional recognition with announcements naming SWAT as the event sponsor, giveaway bags that were distributed to attendees, and flyers and advertisements that were promoted leading up to the event.
• March 17th & 18th, 2014: Kick Butts Day
  Youth motivational speaker Patrick Perez gave presentations at four Sarasota County high schools in conjunction with Kick Butts Day, which is a national day of activism that empowers youth to speak up and take action against tobacco use. Patrick talked about how setting goals and making healthy choices leads to later success in life. He incorporated dancing into his presentations and encouraged audience participation from both students and teachers. His message also included information about point of sale tobacco advertising, SWAT, and the Not A Replacement campaign.
• January-March 2014: Not A Replacement Campaign
  SWAT members throughout Sarasota County participated in the statewide Not A Replacement campaign. This campaign encouraged youth to take a stand against Big Tobacco and to say they will not become a replacement for the thousands of people who die every day from tobacco-related illnesses. Youth took pictures with “selfie statements” that described something positive about themselves, and these pictures were uploaded to the SWAT website and social media platforms.

2013 Milestones 

• December 7th, 2013: Sarasota Holiday Parade
  Sarasota County SWAT members marched in the annual Sarasota Holiday Parade on Main Street. During this event the group was able to raise awareness of SWAT to thousands of Sarasota County community members.
• November 4th, 2013: Resolution against candy flavored tobacco products
  The Longboat Key Town Commission passed a resolution urging local vendors to cease the sale and marketing of all candy-flavored tobacco products and urging citizens not to purchase or use candy flavored tobacco products in the Town of Longboat Key.
• November 2013: National Kick Butts Day PSA Contest
  Pine View SWAT members Paige Hansen and Jonah Mundy won 1st place in the National Kick Butts Day PSA Contest. Their video “The Science Behind a Cigarette” reveals the types of chemicals and substances commonly found in tobacco products.
• September 14th, 2013: Statewide Youth Advocacy Board
  Gene Matthews Boys and Girls Club SWAT member Amber Headley was elected to represent Region 3 as an alternate on the statewide SWAT Youth Advocacy Board (YAB). YAB members are leaders for SWAT at the state level and plan activities and campaigns to be implemented by all SWAT clubs throughout Florida.
• June 18th, 2013: Presentation to Sarasota County School Board
  Members of Sarasota County SWAT and the Tobacco Free Partnership of Sarasota County presented to the Sarasota County School Board on the need for a comprehensive tobacco-free schools policy. Presenters discussed the impact adult smoking on campus has on students, the benefits of having a tobacco-free campus policy, and the components to include in a comprehensive policy.
• June 13th, 2013: Forum on Retail Advertising
  The Tobacco Free Partnership of Sarasota County and North Port Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention sponsored a community forum on the issue of retail advertising and substance use. This event was open to youth and adult community members and focused on local issues including tobacco and alcohol advertising, synthetic drugs, and ways to combat these issues.
• May 18th, 2013: SWAT Beach Clean-Up
  Sarasota County SWAT members participated in a clean-up on Siesta Key Beach. The group collected 7.8 pounds of trash, and a large portion of this trash included cigarette butts.
• March 24th, 2013: Giving Hunger the Blues
  Sarasota County SWAT sponsored a booth at the 18th Annual Giving Hunger the Blues. At this event SWAT students had the opportunity to educate community members on the dangers of candy flavored tobacco products. Attendees were invited to complete a survey about candy flavored tobacco products and to sign a tobacco-free pledge poster.
• March 21st, 2013: Student Shining Star Award
  Sarasota Middle School SWAT member Zachary Raphael was awarded the Sarasota County Student Shining Star Award by Sarasota Coalition on Substance Abuse. This award is given to students who have worked to prevent substance abuse in their community and who pledge to be drug, tobacco, and alcohol free.
• March 20th & 26th, 2013: Kick Butts Day
  The SOURCE Theatre performed the play “The Tobacco Tales” at four Sarasota County middle schools in conjunction with Kick Butts Day, which is a national day of activism that empowers youth to speak up and take action against tobacco use. “The Tobacco Tales” is inspired by true stories from youth in Sarasota County, and it discusses health effects of tobacco use, consequences of tobacco addiction, candy flavored tobacco products, tobacco advertising, chemicals found in tobacco products, and influences upon youth smoking habits such as friends, family members, television, and movies.

2012 Milestones 

• November 20, 2012: Candy Flavored Tobacco Prevention Proclamation
  The School Board of Sarasota County read a Proclamation urging local vendors to cease the sale and marketing of all candy-flavored tobacco products and urging citizens not to purchase or use candy-flavored tobacco products in Sarasota County. They also recognized the work accomplished by Sarasota County SWAT members on this issue.
• November 15, 2012: Great American Smokeout
  The Tobacco Free Partnership of Sarasota County partnered with New College of Florida and the City of North Port to provide “quit kits” on location which included giveaways, tips to quit smoking, and smoking cessation resources. The City of North Port also read a Proclamation recognizing Great American Smokeout Day.
• November 5, 2012: Resolution against candy flavored tobacco products
  The Sarasota City Commission passed a resolution urging local vendors to cease the sale and marketing of all candy-flavored tobacco products and urging citizens not to purchase or use candy-flavored tobacco products in the City of Sarasota.
• May 22, 2012: Resolution against candy flavored tobacco products
  The Venice City Council passed a resolution urging local vendors to cease the sale and marketing of all candy-flavored tobacco products and urging citizens not to purchase or use candy-flavored tobacco products in the City of Venice.
• March 20 & 21, 2012: Kick Butts Day
  Youth motivational speaker Patrick Perez gave presentations at four Sarasota County schools in conjunction with Kick Butts Day, which is a national day of activism that empowers youth to speak up and take action against tobacco use. Patrick talked about how setting goals and making healthy choices leads to later success in life. He incorporated dancing into his presentations and encouraged audience participation from both students and teachers.

Earlier Milestones 

• November 17, 2011: Great American Smokeout SWAT Rally
  Youth from 10 Sarasota County SWAT teams gathered at the Venice Community Center where they heard two guest speakers from Civic Communications. They learned about the statewide SWAT movement and how they can make a lasting difference in their communities.
• July 25, 2011: Resolution against candy flavored tobacco products
  The North Port City Commission passed a resolution urging local vendors to cease the sale and marketing of all candy-flavored tobacco products and urging citizens not to purchase or use candy-flavored tobacco products in the City of North Port.
• June 28, 2011:  Resolution against candy-flavored tobacco products
  The Sarasota County Commission passed a resolution urging local vendors to cease the sale and marketing of all candy-flavored tobacco products and urging citizens not to purchase or use candy-flavored tobacco products in Sarasota County.
• November 9, 2010:  Venice Beach Ordinance
  The City of Venice bans smoking on beaches.
• June 2010: SecondhandSmoke Public Service Announcements
  DOH-Sarasota produced three additional PSA videos to further combat tobacco use in the county.
• May 28, 2010:  SarasotaCounty adopts a Tobacco-Free Policy
  Sarasota County government offices, buildings, leased spaces are completely tobacco-free.  Employees are prohibited from using tobacco products anywhere on county property.  This action also bolsters our tobacco-free parks, recreational facilities, and beach ordinances.
• January 9, 2010 to present:  North Port Drug-Free Youth Chapter
  North Port D-FY was created to represent a paradigm shift off of the substance user and towards providing a system of rewards to non-users.  Spear-headed by the North Port SWAT Club, participating D-FY youth vow to be alcohol-, drug-, and tobacco-free.  To validate the commitment, youth will submit to an initial drug testing and be randomly tested throughout their time in D-FY.  Community-based incentives, including scholarship opportunities, are available to members and may include discounts to restaurants, movie theaters, etc.  For more information, please visit the D-Fy website.
• August 17, 2009:  “The Tobacco Club” Movieis released
  Developed to impart a prevention message to youth, “The Tobacco Club” explores the lives of teenagers and their teacher-facilitator as they spend time in detention for smoking on their high school campus.  The movie was filmed locally using cast and crew members from Sarasota County.  The movie's trailer was awarded a Silver Addy Award by the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
• May 19, 2008:  Sarasota County Health Work force Initiative
  Sarasota County is the first in the Southwest Florida region to adopt a tobacco-free hiring policy for all new employees.  New hires must submit to a drug screening policy that includes nicotine detection.  Additionally new employees must sign a pledge indicating that they have not used tobacco products in the last 12 months.
• December 12, 2007:  Tobacco-Free Beaches
  The Sarasota County Commission enacts the first tobacco-free beach policy in Florida.  This policy includes our 14 public beaches and is done through enacting a litter ordinance to discourage cigarette butt litter on our world-renowned beaches.
• August - December 2007:  Tobacco-Free Hospitals & Health Departments
  Health Departments and area Hospitals go tobacco-free throughout their buildings and outdoor properties.  Through the Health Provocateur project, representatives from Charlotte, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties come together to establish tobacco-free health campuses.  The support and assistance to quit is provided to employees and family members.