As the weather warms up and people start heading to the beaches, one thing they won’t be allowed to do any longer in Folly Beach is smoke. On Tuesday night, the city council passed a beach smoking ban by a 4-3 vote, prohibiting smoking both on the beach and at beach access points.

Violators will face a $25 fine for smoking, carrying or holding a smoking product, which includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes and electronic smoking devices. Repeat offenses will see the fines increase to $50 and $100 for second and third violations, respectively.

The ordinance was driven by a desire to reduce litter and pollution in what it considered the city’s main area of economic activity.

Folly Beach is located just south of Charleston and is home to approximately 2,700 residents.

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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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.