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• Smoking ban comes with a few exceptions 

"Ninety percent of our members or their husbands or wives smoke," said Holmes, 53. "If we couldn't smoke here, we'd either have to close down because nobody would come, or we'd have to build a deck outside. And we just don't have the money.

"Thankfully, we won't have to do that."

That's because groups like the VFW, Disabled American Veterans and American Legion won an exemption Tuesday when the Florida Legislature passed the law implementing the state constitutional amendment that voters approved in November to ban smoking in indoor workplaces, restaurants and bars.

There are other exemptions as well. The smoking ban, which takes effect July 1, excludes fraternal and civic groups that staff their own events, restaurants that have outdoor patios, and so-called "stand alone" bars that serve incidental snacks.

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