The Ocean City Council has placed a moratorium on all adult-business licenses in response to the recent opening of adult-video retailer Sex Style.
With no ordinance regulating or restricting adult-entertainment businesses on the books in Ocean City, Sex Style secured a business permit last year. The store opened its doors last week to brisk business - but after local residents complained about the store's presence in the community at a council meeting, the city decided to take action.
Sex Style owners Ofir Bouzaglo and Moshe Bitton opened another adult shop in nearby Salisbury a little over a year ago. Bitton told the Delmarva Daily Times that despite the controversy, Sex Style is a "pure retail store," adding that they will not install viewing booths or offer movie rentals.
Several area residents spoke out in opposition of the store on Monday at a City Council meeting. At the time, City Solicitor Guy Ayres explained that adult entertainment businesses are constitutionally protected, though some areas restrict their location through zoning.
City officials are now exploring zoning strategies to block adult businesses from entering the community in the future.
The Ocean City ban echoes this week's city council decision in Baker, Louisiana, where officials gave final approval to an ordinance that effectively bans any new adult businesses from opening in the city.
WBRZ News reported that Baker's new ordinance prohibits adult businesses from operating within "1,000 feet of a variety of facilities open to the public, including schools, parks, libraries, churches, synagogues, theaters and day-care centers."
The Baker ordinance defines a sexually-oriented business as any establishment with a 33% of its inventory dedicated to adult entertainment. The ban encompasses adult arcades, bookstores, theaters, cabarets and modeling studios - but does not affect existing businesses or prevent the transfer of ownership of any sexually-oriented business as long as it remains in continuous operation.
