When UF sophomore Jennifer Hafner left one of Midtown’s most popular bars over the weekend, her hair and clothing didn’t smell like smoke.
Gator City went smoke-free at the beginning of the year after being audited by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco for violating the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act. The bar hired a new chef last year who increased food sales, which resulted in the violation.
The act prohibits smoking in most enclosed businesses and workplaces. To qualify as a standalone bar that can choose whether smoking is allowed indoors, the business must receive no more than 10 percent of its income from food, said Andrew Romero, a health policy specialist at the Alachua County Health Department.
Due to the increased food sales, Gator City’s income status changed. To enforce the new policy, Gator City posted signage and is having its staff inform customers, said general manager Jon Gold.
Although some people are caught off-guard by the policy, Gold said that he believes it’s affected business positively, and some customers agree.
“I was very surprised because I didn’t know about this policy,” said Hafner, a 19-year-old environmental engineering student. “It was a very nice change coming home with my hair smelling smoke-free.”
She said she goes to Gator City because she likes the music, but before the change, the dance floor had the most smoke. Now without it, the environment is better for dancing.
Local businesses, especially downtown bars, are changing to fit what their demographic wants, Romero said.
“In Alachua County,” he said, “businesses are always taking steps to become smoke-free and protect their bottom line and the health of their employees.”
Romero said other bars in Midtown should consider adopting smoke-free policies.
The majority of students don’t smoke, he said, citing the 2010 Healthy Gators Student Survey, which found that 8.6 percent of students smoked within the 30 days prior to the survey.
“It’s great that Gator City is changing its policies,” he said, “but there’s still a couple of (Midtown bars) that could stand to take into account the health of their employees and the health of students, and probably protect their bottom line as well.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 1/22/2015 under the headline “Gator City made to go smoke-free after bump in food sales"]
UF telecommunication freshman Matthew Szlasa, 19, and accounting graduate student Jacob Sperber, 23, eat wings and share some laughs at Gator City on Tuesday evening.
