Editorial: City Commission makes the best of a bad situation

Editorial: City Commission makes the best of a bad situation



Publication Date: 08/15/07


When the city of St. Augustine decided this summer to regulate future adult entertainment businesses in the city, the City Commission thought a "concentrated zone" was best.

The city wanted to set up the zone to keep the businesses out of other areas within the city limits. The city selected a three-block area already commercial on the west side of Ponce de Leon Boulevard (U.S. 1), north of State Road 16.

The Record supported the proposal. We agreed with the city that it needed to regulate those businesses in one area away from the city's downtown business district.

The public did not support the plan because they did not want these businesses near schools, churches, parks, or residences and they did not want breeding; one business spawning another next to it.

Their persistence paid off. The City Commission amended the proposed ordinance by eliminating the zone and putting the businesses in the city's "most dense" commercial zoning. It spreads them throughout the city limits with certain restrictions.

The proposed ordinance now says a business must be 500 feet from places that sell alcohol to be consumed on premises, 300 feet from businesses that sell alcohol only, such as liquor stores, and 300 feet from churches, schools and parks. Commissioner Susan Burk picked up on the "breeding" concept and said the revised ordinance should prohibit adult entertainment businesses from locating within 750 feet of each other. The commission agreed.

A concern that was raised -- keeping adult businesses away from residential areas -- is not in the proposed ordinance. Adult businesses could locate near a residential area if all other conditions were met. Likely these commercial businesses -- like any others -- want to be seen along major thoroughfares where a commercial district already is assembled.

The City Commission's final decision will be made on Aug. 27 following a final public hearing.

As we said in June, the city gets high marks for being proactive. It is not creating a rule because an "adult" business is headed our way. It's important to have an adult entertainment ordinance on the books because it says to these businesses, "We'll decide where you go."

The City Commission is making the best of a bad situation. There's just no best place for this kind of business to go.


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