Adult Stores, Threatened With Huge Fines, Vow to Remain Open

CNSNews.com ^ | November 19, 2001 | Rick Sarlat

[Stand Watch Listen]

Daytona Beach, Florida (CNSNews.com) - Several adult-oriented businesses are embroiled in a bitter feud with Daytona Beach, Fla. officials who have ordered them to shut down or pay a hefty price.

Three adult stores, XTC Adult Supercenter, The Banned Bookstore and House of Leather were warned to cease offering sexually explicit merchandise or they would be fined $1,000 a day. Four adult clubs have been given a harsher ultimatum -- cease and desist altogether or be fined up to $5,000 a day.

The dispute landed in federal court over the summer, with the businesses suing the city over ordinances which control where such adult-oriented businesses can be placed. Late last month, a federal judge ruled the city could not shut the businesses down, but could levy fines as it saw fit. City officials recently began issuing notices warning about the fines, which are scheduled to take effect this week.

"All they have to do is shut down to avoid the fines,'' said Mayor Baron H. Asher.

The business owners, however, are adamant in their refusal to comply. "The deadline is bogus," said Mike Piscitelli, an associate with Ellenton Video Inc., which owns the XTC. "We're aware of their ultimatum and we know that they can issue citations up to $5,000 a day. However we are absolutely never leaving this location, under any circumstances or conditions.''

Ron Krenn, owner of Molly Brown's I and Molly Brown's II, a bikini dancing club and a nude dancing club respectively, echoed those sentiments.

"We're staying open no matter what," he said. "This whole thing is a circus show. They think they're going to fine us out of business, but we're not going anywhere."

Krenn said city officials have gone as far as fabricating violations to drive him out of business. Molly Brown's I was issued a $2,500 fine for one its female entertainers showing too much skin.

But Asher denied the fine was trumped up and said the city intends to fight until the end.

"We don't intend to back off one iota," Asher said. "We are going to rigidly enforce our zoning ordinances and land-development codes. Period. Exclamation point."

Asher added that if inspectors can prove the adult clubs, which include two others named The Pink Pony and Lollipops, remained open between the time of the first fine until the code board's December meeting, each will face a $100,000 fine.

[Bella_Bru]

Ummm....I made comments simliar to that one. And yes, I believe many of these upright folks believe that is the only way to have sex.

[Bella_Bru]

Oh, and your post was not full of ad hominem attacks?

When you are through, we'll see if we cannot find you some friends to play "holier than thou" with.

[Bella_Bru]

So, are you another conservative who is for small government, BUT only for the things you like?

I hope you do not think porn is anything new. People have admired the human body and the joy it can bring for a long time. And all of your moral whining isn't going to stop that.

[Chad Fairbanks]

And to think, I actually thought I was a prude... but lately, I've realized I'm just sensible ;0)

[joathome]

And you really believe the founding fathers intended that the constitution and bill of rights granted the "free speech" right of having a naked woman dancing in your face?

hahahahahahaha Talk about revisionist history. LIBERAL.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I believe that the only way the naked woman is dancing in your face is if you actually GO INTO the CLEARLY MARKED establishment. If you don't go in, you don't have a naked woman dancing in your face. If you DO go in, then you may have a naked woman dancing in your face. Pretty simple.

If you were just minding your own business, on your way down to the Family Bible Center, and some naked woman came out into the street from the establishment and started dancing in your face, then it would be an issue. But, since this (usually) doesn't happen, what's the problem???

[joathome]

You are avoiding the point that communities have a right to set standards, and that the "intent" was never to include naking dancing women in "free speech".

[Chad Fairbanks]

No, actually, I DO believe the community has the responsibility to set standards. However, some of us happen to believe that the "community" is not the gov't, but the People.

It's obvious that there is an economic incentive (how else would those smut shops be able to absorb those large fines on a daily basis????) that indicates that the "community" has decided that smut shops are ok, and it's the gov't that is going crazy with zoning - that's not setting community standards...

Now, as I stated before, I'm not a porn fan, and I do not frequent the types of establishments that are mentioned, but I also understand that some people do, for whatever reason. If I run for office, and win, does that mean I now have a valid bully-pulpit from which I can force my community (i.e. "the people") to live by MY standards, or are they free to make their own choices????

And as I said, I'm a prude, but I'm a realist enough to know that if they can do this kind of stuff to smut shops, it's only a matter of time before they do it to Gun Shops, Bible Stores or some other types of busineses that may offend some segment of the public, "for the children".

Hope you understand that my position is not in support of Pornography...

[section9]

That's two threads today where you've mentioned Ron. Is there something you're trying to tell us? {grin}

Daytona is so full of it. They keep screwing around with zoning laws, but they keep making them retractive, which has very fuzzy legal standing at best. What'll probably happen is the same thing that happened in Palm Springs: you'll know you left the city limits because everything is lit in purple neon (the "official" signal of the smut shop, I noticed that a few years ago).

Well, actually, Ron Jeremy's presence in so many porn films is the result of his having risen to producer status within the industry. No one else who looks like him can walk into a scene and do a take with a top name pornstar. However, when you control the purse strings to a lot of adult films, you get to do what Ron does.

A lot of the female stars call him "the Hedgehog". Jeezus Gawd. His philandering. His cigars. It's almost as if he were Bill Clinton's evil twin. Or, rather, that Bill Clinton is Ron Jeremy's evil twin.

Meanwhile: yes, it is true, Daytona does Suck. It's bad enough that it's in Volusia County which provided Al Gore a spread of about 20,000 votes. The only thing that's up there is the Daytona International Speedway.

That and Bike Week are the only things going for that town. And I speak as a native of Fort Lauderdale; whose city fathers drove the kids out of town back in the early eighties and killed Spring Break.

You can't even find a decent bar in this town. Although I do hear that Daytona still has a good watering hole or two.

Meanwhile, while we're on a "let's kick Ron Jeremy" thread, I thought I'd atone for my previous post of The Ol' Hedgehog Himself by posting a barely guidelines legal pic of Midori, my favorite pornstar. Thankfully, this pic just gets under the wire, unlike a lot of her other stuff that's on the web.

Someone has to find a halfway decent pic of Catherine Zeta-Jones for the next "let's beat up Maureen Dowd" thread. Otherwise I'll have to post Midori again.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Ahban]

Oh my, I have seemed to stirred up a hornets nest. Time to get the Raid out,

eastforker- you are just trying to change the subject.

Publius, you are just attempting the same answer Phantom Lord started with, but had to change once he realized that obscene 'visual arts' have always been around in one form or another. He had to change his answer once Bella_Bru brought up the Pompiee frescos. It seems that porn has always been an open part of any culture that will openly allow it. The question of this thread is "should we?".

freeee, FF578 gave an excellent refutation to your 'got any examples' challenge on his post #49. The founding fathers, or at least their immediate successors, did have laws against porn, as would we if we were more noble men.

The only other point to deal with is Phantom's "do you want to reestablish the prohibition' retort. I want local governemtns to have real authority. We have 'dry counties' right now. If you don't want to live in such a county you don't have to. I'd vote to make my county porn free to. You and your buddies can have your porn haven two counties down the line. Let's see who winds up with the healtheir society.

Ahban

[culpeper]

Hey if we needed that to reproduce we never would have gotten out of the stone age.

[Bella_Bru]

It seems that porn has always been an open part of any culture that will openly allow it. The question of this thread is "should we?".

And how far would take your banning of porn? Would couples not be able to photograph or video each other? You going to pay neighbors to make sure they listen? Can they trade with pics with other couples, or you going to have undercover cops on that too?

I am not certain what the laws were in the 1910's and 20's, but if you go to Barnes and Noble, in the photography section, you can find a book that is all about porn from this era. Seems whether or not society deems it legal, it will exist.

[Joe Miner]

Paraphrasing Pastor Martin Niemöller

They first came for the porn stores, but I wasn't a porn store.

[Bella_Bru]

Thank you, Gumption. I wouldn't be here without all of my adoring fans. I'd also like to thank my agent, Stone, for supplying me with ample material.

[StoneColdGOP]

For some of us, that dream is anything but a joke...

[StoneColdGOP]

Anytime, sweetheart!

[Gumption]

When are you guys gonna start up a web site. My interest is peaked.

Just "ample" Bella? That's too bad. (snicker)

[Bella_Bru]

Hopefully, mt agent will come up with more work for me later. ;-)

[Gumption]

I'd vote to make my county porn free

I've always been curious about how someone like you feels about erotica (dirty stories). Would that also be banned? How would you be able to ban words like, dick (name), (chicken) breast, pussy (cat), ass (donkey), nipple (baby bottle), lick, rub, feel, insert, etc.? Seems kinda impossible to me.

Even if you found a way, wouldn't that eliminate a lot of classic literature? Would there have to be a pretty major book burning party?