In a unanimous vote Sept. 28, the committee approved resolution 2006-X, which could make High Springs one of the few counties in Florida that have successfully prevented new adult companies from setting up shop.
The final vote is now in the hands of City Commissioner Jim Gabriel
City Attorney Jim Pendland told the High Springs Herald that the city has been trying to create an ordinance against adult companies for several decades. The challenge, Pendland said, is in making sure the wording of the ordinance successfully blocks out adult companies while at the same time avoids any infringement on constitutional rights.
The committee has reportedly modeled the ordinance after others counties in Florida that have aimed to accomplish the same ban on adult. If the moratorium passes, it would be in effect just long enough for the city to come up with a permanent rule.
Previous attempts to ban adult companies failed to make the proper submission timeline to the City Commissioner.
“I feel that [the committee] is very close to bringing a recommendation to us,” Gabriel told the local press. “It would be a shame to have an adult entertainment business come in under the wire. I can’t imagine anything that would be more out of character for High Springs.”
In a similar move, Albuquerque, N.M., is considering a ban on adult companies in its downtown area. Earlier this week, the city council reviewed a proposal to place a moratorium on any new adult entertainment businesses opening in its central core.
The zoning law would reenact a ban the city upheld 30 years ago, which over the years became lax. Albuquerque is in the midst of a revitalization plan, and the City Attorney Bob White has stated that adult companies are “inconsistent with that goal.”
