City of Miami Seeks to Shut Down CocoDorm.com

MIAMI, Fla. — Asserting that operating the business from its current location is a violation of local zoning ordinances, the city of Miami has filed a lawsuit against the owners of CocoDorm.com to force the company out of its current location and claim unpaid zoning violation fines already imposed by the city.

The lawsuit named the property’s owners and their company, Barrios Investment Group, as well as CocoDorm.com owner Flava Works Inc., and its owner Philip Bleicher.

In its lawsuit, the city claimed that the defendants “maintain an illegal adult entertainment business on the subject property,” and continue to operate the business despite an existing order from the city’s Code Enforcement Board.

“The Code Enforcement Board found the defendants guilty of operating an illegal business and an adult entertainment business on August 13, 2007, and ordered the defendants to cease and desist such operation and to comply within 24 hours to stop the usage of the subject property in that manner,” the city stated in its complaint. “The pornography site is still operating and Flava Works, Inc., has not vacated the subject property.”

In the lawsuit, the city stated that CocoDorm’s alleged violations of local zoning ordinances “threaten the health, safety and welfare of the community.”

“Children and families are living in close proximity to the subject property,” the city asserted in the complaint. “There is a church one block away from the hone and the neighborhood is zoned R-4; multifamily… [a] pornography studio set-up is not allowed in this single family home next to other single family homes under our present zoning laws.”

According to the complaint, there also were reports of criminal activity in September and October of 2006, activities that “threaten the health, safety and welfare of the community.”

The city is seeking a temporary injunction to force Flava to cease its alleged violating of local zoning ordinances, and to “abate and cease and desist the illegal business and adult business operating at the subject property.”

“Most specifically, the city seeks to abate and enjoin the website operations, videotaping and broadcaster for www.cocodorm.com from operating at the subject property,” the city stated in its complaint.

Representatives of FlavaWorks were not available for comment at press time for this article.