UPDATE
The Leon County Commission failed to move forward on adult entertainment regulations suggested by Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor.
Original Story
The Leon County Commissioners will review options for regulating adult entertainment businesses at their December 10th meeting, following the recent opening of a Hustler Hollywood store in Tallahassee.
Hustler Hollywood, located on North Monroe Street, opened on September 13th. Since then, citizens have expressed concerns about a potential influx of adult entertainment stores into the County, prompting the Commissioners to request a status report on regulation options.
According to the report, Tallahassee currently has three adult entertainment stores: Hustler Hollywood on North Monroe Street, Rick’s Toy Box on North Monroe Street, and X-Mart Adult Superstore on Apalachee Parkway.
Staff intends to find a way to regulate potential increases and concentrations of adult entertainment businesses. Notably, however, the County cannot ban these businesses altogether, as they are protected by the First Amendment.
According to the report, the County can only impose “time, place, and manner” restrictions based on the harmful secondary effects of the stores and not based on their actual content.
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“To be a valid time, place, and manner restriction, the restriction must further a substantial government interest and provide for alternative avenues of communication,” staff reports.
The report outlines options for regulations that would aim to decrease the harmful secondary effects of adult entertainment businesses.
Zoning regulations are one option. According to the report, “The County can enact zoning regulations to keep these businesses from opening too close to one another, keep them concentrated in one specific area, or require them to be a certain distance from churches, schools, daycare centers, or residential neighborhoods.”
Zoning regulations could decrease potential secondary effects like property value loss and crime.
“An ordinance creating distance requirements between adult entertainment stores is the most effective way to curb the proliferation of adult entertainment stores within the allowable zoning districts,” staff reports.
The zoning ordinance would set a distance requirement of 1,000 feet between adult entertainment stores, staff reports.
Other regulation options are alcohol bans, license and background check requirements, and operating hours restrictions.
According to the report, the Commissioners votes to adopt any ordinance to regulate adult entertainment businesses must provide evidence that there is a “substantial government interest” in the regulations.
Evil begets evil. Clean up the leadership, get your own houses in order, and this stuff will go away.
Snidely: well said
Alex: they already do, in a sense
TONY: nothing wrong with sex, but when sex needs more than sex, depravity will ensue
Pornography and the like is not the problem, it is what lurks in the human heart.
If these business entities would sponsor a happy hour and pass out "freebee" toys at the next Chamber business retreat, they would get a green light on everything. The attendance at these retreats would double. What are waiting for Chamber? Speak up!
"Leon County Commissioners to review spanking by regulation options for Adult Entertainment Businesses due to no meaningful political contributions being made by the new Hustler Hollywood business to date."
"The report outlines options for regulations that would aim to decrease the harmful secondary effects of adult entertainment businesses." ……………… Which ARE? Hot Wild SEX? I want to ASK these Businesses to keep Track of the amount of Business that is done while our Prim & Proper God Fearing Christian Legislators are in Town. I will bet that Business will increase a good bit. I know for a FACT that we elected some true PERVERTS.
You call them "Adult Entertainment Businesses" as if they are providing Hookers. I thought they only sold Sex Toys, Videos, Outfits, Lotions and stuff, you know, items to help peoples Sex Life. If these places bothers anyone that much, just don't go inside or better yet STAY HOME because no one wants to be around Proods. AND, just HOW will you Regulate them? They already have an Age Limit to be able to go inside and if someone under 18 DOES get inside, my guess is, they would be there with Friends and already had sex.