Smoking is the #1 cause of preventable death in the United States and every day 88 Floridians die due to tobacco related illnesses. The Tobacco Free Florida Program is administered locally at the Florida Department of Health in Hardee County. Our efforts focus on improving the health of Hardee County residents through policy and systems change.
The list of illnesses caused by tobacco use is long and contains many of the most common causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, lung disease, many forms of cancer, and vascular diseases.
Cigarette use alone, results in an estimated 430,000 deaths each year in the U.S., including 28,600 deaths in Florida. Secondhand smoke causes 50,000 deaths each year among adult non-smokers in the United States with 2,520 of those deaths among Floridians.
