The Sarasota County, Fla., government will not hire anyone who is a current smoker, pointing to federal data showing that smokers cost employers $3,400 annually in lost productivity and medical expenses, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reported May 20.

The ban on hiring smokers is part of a strategy to "produce a healthier work force and manage our long-term health costs," said Sarasota County Administrator Jim Ley.

A 1996 Florida Supreme Court ruling gave employers the right to exclude smokers from employment, but Sarasota County is believed to be the first county in southwest Florida to do so. However, the city of Atlantic Beach, as well as the sheriff's offices in Hernando, Hillsborough and Pasco Counties, also refuse to hire smokers.

New employees of Sarasota County will be required to take a nicotine drug test and sign a pledge that they have not smoked in the previous year. Current employees won't be affected, however.

"We could potentially lose some very valuable employees but all things being equal it's probably a good thing," said Sarasota County Commissioner Nora Patterson.