PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County officials say teen vaping has reached a crisis point, with vaping devices found daily in school bathrooms and backpacks — some containing THC or laced with fentanyl — as flavored e-cigarettes prepare to return to store shelves following recent FDA approval.
WATCH: Vape shops target schools, Palm Beach County officials say
Police, school leaders, doctors and county officials are now coordinating a response they say is long overdue, even as a federal decision to greenlight fruit-flavored vapes threatens to undo their progress.
The fallout from that decision has already claimed two top federal health officials, including the chief spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, who resigned Thursday in protest.
A crisis taking shape in classrooms
Riviera Beach Police Chief Michael Coleman did not mince words when describing the situation facing his community.
"We are at a tipping point," Coleman said.
The School District of Palm Beach County is reporting thousands of vaping-related discipline incidents each school year, with devices turning up in bathrooms and backpacks on a daily basis.
Keith Oswald, the district's chief of student health and wellness, said the numbers reflect a problem that extends well beyond Palm Beach County's borders.
"We see, on average, a couple thousand discipline incidents that are vape-related," Oswald said.
State data paints an equally troubling picture. Oswald said roughly 17% of Florida students reported using a vape during the last school year — a figure he believes mirrors what the district is seeing locally.
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"Throughout the state of Florida, about 17% in last school year reported the use of a vape," Oswald said. "I would say that mirrors Palm Beach County."
Dr. Jyothi Gunta with the Palm Beach County Department of Health said local surveillance data confirms the county is not just keeping pace with the statewide trend — it may be leading it.
"Numbers really point to Palm Beach County as taking lead," Gunta said.
What teens are actually inhaling
One of the most alarming aspects of the crisis, officials say, is that many teens have little understanding of what is actually in the devices they are using.
Coleman said his officers regularly encounter young people who are unaware that possession is a criminal offense — or that the vape they picked up could contain far more than nicotine.
"We charge them with paraphernalia," Coleman said. "Some of them mixed with THC — it could be laced with fentanyl."
The health consequences of vaping extend beyond the risk of contaminated products. Dr. Michael Hughes, an emergency room physician at HCA Florida JFK North Hospital, said the damage vaping causes to the body is well-documented and can be life-threatening.
"It has been associated with cellular damage, associated with cancer," Hughes said. "Actually put patients in critical condition, or even killed them."
Gunta said the appeal of vaping among young people is driven by a combination of social pressure, easy access and a fundamental misunderstanding of the risks involved.
"It's fashionable, it's perceived as a way to relax," Gunta said.
Parents often the last to know
Compounding the problem, officials say, is that many parents have no idea their child is vaping — in part because the devices are engineered to avoid detection. Oswald said vaping products are frequently disguised as ordinary school supplies.
"It may look like a highlighter, but good chance it could be a vape," Oswald said. "Parents don't realize it's happening."
His advice to parents is direct.
"Trust but verify with your kids," Oswald said.
Vape shops within walking distance of schools
A geographic analysis conducted by the county has revealed a troubling pattern: Vape shops are clustered within walking distance of middle and high schools throughout Palm Beach County.
Taruna Malhotra of the Criminal Justice Commission said the data makes clear that proximity is not coincidental.
"One school had nine stores within one mile," Malhotra said. "Even if kids don't have transportation, they can walk to those vaping stores — they're probably passing on the way into school."
County leaders are now mapping those store locations and forming task forces aimed at ensuring retailers are not selling to minors. The effort is part of a broader push to reduce access at the community level while simultaneously increasing education inside schools.
The ultimate goal, Malhotra said, is straightforward — even if achieving it is not.
"No kids vaping, that's the dream," Malhotra said.
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FDA approval of flavored vapes draws local backlash
The work of local officials has been complicated by a recent federal decision.
The FDA's approval allowing stores to once again sell fruit-flavored e-cigarettes has drawn sharp criticism from health officials and law enforcement in Palm Beach County, who say the move directly undermines their efforts to keep vapes away from young people.
Coleman said the marketing strategy behind flavored vapes is transparent.
"Target audience is juveniles, kids," Coleman said.
Gunta was equally blunt in her assessment of the FDA's decision.
"We're not taking it well. It's a disservice," Gunta said.
Federal health officials resign in protest
The FDA approval has triggered significant fallout at the federal level. Thursday, the chief HHS spokesman, Rich Danker, resigned in protest of the decision to greenlight fruit-flavored e-cigarettes.
Danker said the products appeal to children and pose severe health risks.
His resignation comes one day after the head of the FDA stepped down over the same issue. The Trump administration now faces several vacancies in top health roles as the controversy over flavored vaping products continues to escalate.
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