ORLANDO, Fla. -- A growing number of companies in Florida are forbidding their workers from smoking not only at work, but also in their private lives. Westgate Resorts, the largest private employer in Central Florida, has banned smoking and won't budge from a policy of not hiring smokers and firing employees who do smoke.
"When I found out it was legal to discriminate against smokers, I put the policy in place," Westgate president and CEO David Seigel said.
Seigel told Local 6 that the policy was prompted by the death of his close friend -- a heavy smoker who died of cancer.
"If you are too stupid to understand that smoking is going to kill you, then we are going to tell you that if you want to work for our company, you will not smoke," Seigel said.
Central Floridian Ava Bryant said she was called by a recruiter for Westgate and told not to come in for an interview because Westgate won't hire smokers.
"I call it discrimination," Bryant said. "I'm not an avid smoker or a constant smoker. I just said I smoke. Sometimes I may pick up a cigarette and smoke."
But Local 6 reporter Steven Cooper reported that at Westgate, "sometimes" is one time too many.
Seigel said his policy is cost effective and said since it went into effect, health insurance claims have gone down significantly -- making insurance more affordable for employees.
The concern for privacy groups is that policies could extend beyond health issues.
"Why should non-smokers sympathize with you?" Cooper asked Bryant.
"Because, then if it's not for the smoking, it may be something else that may infringe on their rights," Bryant said. "So, how far are you going to go with it? Like, you wear pants so we are not going to hire you because you wear pants?"
"Anything we can do that is legal and not discriminatory, we will do," Seigel said. "If you are an alcoholic and we have the right to fire you, we will do so. And if you are obese and there is a way for us not to hire you or to fire you, we will do that, too."
"That sounds like discrimination," Cooper said.
"Well, I'm saying that anything that is not discriminatory," Seigel said. "If it is, we can't do very much about it."
Local 6 videotaped several Westgate employees leaving his building and smoking in a nearby strip mall.
Seigel said if those smokers are found out, they will be disciplined and assisted to quit smoking.
Seigel said when the non-smoking policy initially went into effect he gave employees a year to stop smoking and opportunities to receive counseling, patches and other smoking cessation programs.
