Cigar Weekly

DADE CITY - Pasco officials could soon snuff out any smokers' chances of joining the county government work force.

At County Commissioner Michael Cox's urging, county staffers are researching a ban on hiring smokers, though current employees would not be forced to quit. Cox said such a policy, if approved by the board this summer, might lead to lower insurance costs.

"I guess the deciding factor was the cost of health insurance," Cox, a nonsmoker, said Tuesday of his motivation.

But the insurance savings are uncertain, and the South Florida community that cleared the way for such a ban lifted it a few years later.

In 1995, North Miami won a Florida Supreme Court ruling giving it the power to exclude smokers from jobs. The decision, which stated smoking is not covered by the right to privacy, was left intact by the U.S. Supreme Court.

But five years ago, the city of 60,000 reversed itself. North Miami needed to widen its job applicant pool, and it was no longer getting any breaks on its insurance costs, spokeswoman Pam Solomon said.

Aetna, Pasco's new insurer, will offer the county $20,000 to pay for smoking cessation programs. But Aetna has not promised any rate savings for not hiring smokers, Pasco personnel director Barbara DeSimone said.

Even without a savings, however, Cox said he would pursue such a policy because "it's the right thing to do."

Tampa Bay sheriff's agencies, including Pasco, have similar bans, as do other Florida communities. Sarasota County banned smokers from joining the payroll in May, citing lower insurance bills and better productivity.

Any Sarasota job applicant who refuses to attest he or she hasn't used tobacco products in the past year is ineligible for a job. Job candidates face screenings for tobacco use during new-hire physical exams.

Pasco staffers are working in a similar direction, although no written proposal has come out. Except for firefighters - who are supposed to be smoke-free by law - Pasco County doesn't place any smoking limits on its employees.

Nor does the county track employees' smoking habits or tally how many smokers are on the payroll.

On Tuesday, Cox invited the Pasco Health Department's tobacco prevention specialist, Lisa Sloan, to deliver a presentation on eradicating smoking. Besides driving health care costs higher, Sloan said, smokers take two more days off work each year than nonsmokers.

The antismoking push gained momentum from other commissioners for the health benefits and potential savings. Commissioner Jack Mariano even suggested hypnotism for curing smoking addiction - it worked for his wife.

And County Administrator John Gallagher said he was all for barring smokers from being hired. But enforcing it on current employees?

"You said new hires," said Gallagher, who enjoys a cigar once or twice a week.