Changes to the ordinance, according to the proprietors of the majority of adult entertainment venues, are unlawful.
The conflict between the mayor of Jacksonville and the proprietors of Jacksonville strip clubs is still going on. The bulk of the adult entertainment industry owners are suing the city once more on the grounds that the new ordinances are unlawful.
It is the most recent conflict in a protracted campaign to stop human trafficking. It covers the arguments for and against raising the minimum age from 18 to 21 and requiring dancers to register with the city. Perspectives on both sides are highly diverse.
The latest lawsuit reveals that business owners are at odds with municipal officials over an initiative that modifies the regulations governing adult entertainment. LeAnna Cumber, a member of the Jacksonville City Council, is spearheading the charge for further regulation, including dancer identity cards.
“What the dancer cards will do is make sure we do not have underage girls dancing in the strip clubs. If the owners really cared about the age of the dancers in their clubs, then they would stop litigating it. It’s been litigated over and over. They’re legal. They’re constitutional.” LeAnna Cumber Claimed.
However, Gary Edinger, the lawyer defending the club’s owners, is in disagreement. Cards can be legal, but Edinger claims they aren’t in this situation because they offer the city and the sheriff too much discretion, which is why he’s filed his most recent complaint.
“So the idea is it’s OK to issue to require a license, but it has to be issued very quickly and it has to be, there has to be no discretion whatsoever involved in the decision. So that way, you don’t pick, you know, winners and losers, you don’t pick, the sheriff doesn’t get to pick his favorite entertainers.” Gary Edinger Replied.
The cases continue to be heard by a federal court in Jacksonville despite years of heated exchanges between the two parties. The two have made some concessions, such as restricting police inquiries, but their disagreement over the legal minimum age for dancers persists. The age of 21 is what the city wants. It should be 18, according to club owners. Will this go on to take a big toll on the Jacksonville strip clubs after all?