The Ocean City, N.J. City Council will hold a second reading, public hearing and vote on the proposed boardwalk smoking ban at its meeting tonight, and if the first reading was any indication of how things will go tonight, it looks like it will soon be a crime to light up along the popular seaside area.

When it was introduced at the council’s June 12 meeting, there was unanimous support to introduce the ordinance, which would eliminate seven designated smoking areas currently in place and would completely prohibit smoking along the boardwalk, including all stairways and ramps, with no off-hours or seasonal exemptions.

While enforcement of the ban will likely come primarily through friendly reminders and warnings, there is provisions for fines for those that refuse to comply. First-time offenses ranging from $100 to $250 and repeat violations ranging from $500 to $1000.

If the ordinance is passed tonight, it could go into effect as soon as July 16.

Ocean City has approximately 11,500 residents and is located in Cape May County, 11 miles south of Atlantic City.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.