MIAMI, Fla.—Porn has been a staple of the South Florida landscape for several years now, but apparently the mainstream media is just discovering that companies like Girlfriends Films are shooting it there.
"Tonight we have an eye-opening look at a sexy secret right in our own backyard," said a CBS Miami 4 anchorman during the lead segment to last night's newscast. "We've learned that South Florida is becoming a major player in the porn industry."
The story was reported by newsman Jorge Estevez, whom New Yorkers may recognize as the first reporter on the scene of the shooting death of Haitian immigrant Amidou Diallo by four New York policemen in 1999—a story which made national headlines for several weeks.
Estevez caught up with two adult producers for his piece—and both happened to deal exclusively with same-sex material.
"What happens when private moments get caught on camera for others to watch?" Estevez asked rhetorically.
"We try to pretend like nobody has sex," answered World of Men webmaster Collin O'Neal, who the story notes is trying to sell his business. "We just happen to be filming it."
Somewhat more informative was Girlfriends Films contract star Prinzzess Felicity Jade—though apparently the name "Prinzzess" was a bit too much for News 4, so it was never mentioned.
"There is a lot filmed in Florida," Prinzzess noted. "It's beautiful, it's exotic. It's hot here, it's humid—sex is hot and humid."
As AVN earlier reported, Girlfriends was in town to film three episodes of its long-running series, Lesbian Triangles, each featuring Prinzzess.
"We rented a huge mansion, and we shot everything inside," she noted. "Florida is the only place that has enough adult stars to come and film, besides Los Angeles."
The Nightly News report also mention the Exxxotica show, described by Estevez as "the nation's leading convention on romance, love and sex," that's been held in the Miami area for the past six years, and which will be returning to the Miami Beach Convention Center May 20-22.
The piece also mentioned Exxxotica exhibitor (and popular adult star) Sara Jay, who publishes Pumps & Bumps magazine out of Miami.
"The more people that come here to be in the porn industry, the more it grows," Jay noted. "and the more it grows, the more people will come."
"But is filming people having sex legal?" Estevez asked.
"The bottom line is, pornography is legal until it is declared obscene by a jury," responded First Amendment attorney Daniel Aaronson. "As long as the community in which you're shooting pornography accepts it, it remains pornography, not obscenity, and it is lawful."
Estevez noted that the key to successful South Florida shoots is "blending in."
"If you make a little bit of noise, then you may dig up some problems," O'Neal agreed.
On the other hand ...
"They're bringing in money to the local people, who get the money and spend it locally," Prinzzess told listeners. "So it helps the local economy."
The piece ended with Estevez noting that that influx of cash "has made the adult industry a booming business, coming in at $13 billion a year. Hard to tell how much of it is from Florida but insiders say a large chunk of sales comes from hotels, when guests order adult movies in their rooms."
Ah, well—we can wish the adult industry still brought in $13 billion annually—but in all other respects, the report was accurate and non-judgmental; something that's rarely seen in mainstream coverage of the adult industry.
