SWAT Members Meet with County Commissioner Kim Adkinson by Riley Blum
On February 27th, Melbourne High School Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) Club members had the opportunity to speak with County Commissioner Kim Adkinson who represents District 3 of Brevard County about their desire to keep public parks and beaches in our community smoke-free.
Sophomore Dominic Tosi, a first year SWAT member, attended the meeting. “I attended the meeting with County Commissioner Kim Adkinson because it is a rare experience for students to have a direct impact on our local officials, especially on an issue as pressing as tobacco use in our public beaches and parks,” said Tosi, “I also thought it was just a fun experience, in general, to converse with someone who wants to improve our county and has the will to do so.”
As Florida’s statewide youth organization working towards a tobacco free future, SWAT youth have many opportunities to speak with decision makers in their communities to advocate for policy change. Thus, members of the club were very motivated to represent the organization to members of the community. “It is not only important but imperative for SWAT members to preach our ideas and beliefs to decision-makers but also hear what causes them to hesitate on passing new legislation,” said Tosi, “For example, one of Kim Adkinson’s arguments for why banning smoking in public areas was controversial is that it invades people's right to smoke. This rebuttal is invaluable to SWAT members as it gives us insight into the minds of different viewpoints. We can use these viewpoints that we may not have thought of originally to strengthen the cause for smoke-free areas. One thing I asked the County Commissioner was if a person's right to smoke overrides my right to clean lungs and then presented her with glaring statistics about second-hand smoke: 7,300 people die annually due to lung cancer that can be traced to second-hand smoke.”
The meeting was insightful for SWAT members, as it was an opportunity to have an open discussion with an elected official and learn more about the process of further speaking to the county commissioners about enacting further legislation to keep public spaces smoke-free. “This opportunity gave me the knowledge that even if you think your argument is strong, there is always something you may have not yet thought of,” said Tosi, “Since then, I think everyone who attended that meeting has been more cognizant about different viewpoints on tobacco use in public areas. I learned that our county commissioners strive to improve the community, and that means taking everyone's rights and needs and wants into consideration.”
For more information, follow @swatmhs & @brevardswat on Instagram.