Florida Pastor/Legislator Introduces Anti-Porn Age Verification Bill

Florida Pastor/Legislator Introduces Anti-Porn Age Verification Bill

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Republican state legislator in Florida, who is also a pastor, has introduced a copycat version of the age verification legislation being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

Rep. Chase Tramont (Central Florida), who was ordained in 2004 and serves as pastor at Oceanway Church, introduced HB 3 in the State House.

Tramont’s bill “would require entities that publish content harmful to minors to use third-party services to verify that the person attempting to view the content is an adult,” the Florida Phoenix reported.

The bill defines “harmful content” as “content that the average person applying contemporary community standards would find, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct; and lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.”

The clergyman’s definition appears to be a variation on the Miller’s Test definition of obscenity, which follows the pro-censorship tradition of blurring the long-held distinction between First Amended-protected pornography and non-protected obscenity when it comes to minors, further complicated by deploying the vague, pseudo-medical term “harmful.”

As XBIZ reported, leading conservative anti-porn crusaders have admitted that the currently proliferating state-by-state age verification laws are merely a stepping stone in an organized effort to ban all adult content online and revive obscenity prosecutions.

Industry Attorneys Weigh In

Industry attorney Lawrence Walters, whose Walters Law Group is based in Florida, told XBIZ that the state is “jumping into the age verification game with copycat legislation that is ultimately doomed to failure.” 

Walters noted that, unlike some other recent state age verification laws, “violations detailed in HB 3 can be enforced by the state — in addition to civil lawsuits by or on behalf of minors.”

If passed, Walters explained, the law can be “quickly challenged as a violation of both the First Amendment and the dormant Commerce Clause, and on the grounds of Section 230 preemption. Legal precedent finding similar laws unconstitutional is well established. Should Florida pass this law, it will lead to litigation that will waste taxpayer dollars.”

Floridians, Walters concluded, “should be trusted to care for their own minor children by installing age-appropriate content restriction tools without the need for the government to act as a nanny state.”

Fellow attorney Corey Silverstein of Silverstein Legal told XBIZ he is "actually surprised it took Florida this long to jump on the age verification bandwagon, given their historically conservative nature. Nonetheless, Florida decided to give itself some enforcement powers instead of just creating private causes of action, leaving itself open to swift legal challenges. As I have commented previously, I believe that these age verification laws are ridiculous and unconstitutional, and the lawmakers passing them seem to ignore legal precedent and the First Amendment altogether."

Unfortunately, he added, "it seems as though the adult industry is going to have to wait for some successful outcomes in the Courts before this current age verification push ends.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for February, March

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters by country in February and March.

BranditScan Launches 'Referral Rush' Promo

BranditScan has launched its Referral Rush promotion for creators.

2025 AltStar Awards Nominees Announced

Nominations have been announced for the 2025 AltStar Awards, aka the AltPorn Awards, presented by Bad Dragon.

AI Erotic Storytelling Platform 'AIEroticSmut' Launches

AIEroticSmut.com, a DIY erotic storytelling platform, has officially launched.

TeamSkeet, MYLF to Launch New Website FamilyStrokes.com

Sister studios TeamSkeet and MYLF are launching a new website, FamilyStrokes.com.

AV Bulletin: Age Verification Hits the Mainstream, Ofcom Sets a Date

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the country. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, AV tech providers continue to tout their services, and legal challenges continue to play out in the courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

Segpay Names Kristi Greer VP of Sales

Segpay has promoted long-time employee Kristi Greer to the position of vice president of sales.

BranditScan Names Subgirl Newest Brand Ambassador

BranditScan has named content creator Subgirl its newest brand ambassador.

Arcom Reports Age Verification Enforcement Actions Against 5 Adult Sites

French media regulator Arcom released a statement Tuesday detailing recent actions to enforce age verification rules as set forth under France’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

Pineapple Support, Clips4Sale to Host Support Group for Performers' Partners

Pineapple Support and Clips4Sale are hosting a free online support group for partners and family members of adult industry professionals.

Show More