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Bikini Bar Owners Settle County Dispute

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By Anthony McCartney | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2007

TAMPA - Hillsborough County will pay the owners of a Valrico bikini bar about $49,000 to settle a nearly two-year-old lawsuit over the club's opening.

Federal court documents show that the county and bar owners Gemini Property Ventures have reached an agreement, although both sides have yet to sign off on the full terms.

Luke Lirot, a Clearwater lawyer representing Gemini, said the county will pay his clients $49,000 to resolve the case. Lirot said the case was settled, in part, so Gemini could devote full attention to another lawsuit against the county over ordinances governing sexually oriented businesses.

The resolution comes nearly two weeks before the case was supposed to go to trial. Part of the case focused on actions taken by then-County Commissioner Ronda Storms before the Showgirls bikini bar opened its doors.

Gemini sued the county in November 2005 and in a recent filing alleged Hillsborough "maliciously and intentionally" manipulated procedures and county employees to try to keep the club from opening.

Storms was accused of asking county workers to delay issuing a certificate of occupancy for the club, preventing its opening. She was later cleared of wrongdoing by the State Attorney's Office and Florida Commission on Ethics.

Showgirls eventually opened in February 2006 after a federal magistrate judge ruled that the bar's dancers deserved First Amendment protection.

The county countered that it merely was enforcing its regulations, and that Gemini improperly filed for certain permits, according to a pre-trial statement.

Among those who may have been called to testify had there been a trial were Storms, County Administrator Pat Bean and several current and former county employees.

Lirot and County Attorney Renee Lee said the terms were agreed to by a county claims committee. Lee said there would be no changes to county ordinances as a result of the settlement. Lee said she was reluctant to discuss specific terms of the agreement until it had been signed.

Lirot said Gemini's owners were partly motivated to end the case because the county has been more cooperative since Storms left office.

"The current regime seems pretty reasonable," Lirot said.

A call placed to Storms' state Senate district office seeking comment was not returned Thursday afternoon.

In its pending lawsuit, Gemini argues that three county ordinances governing sexually oriented business are unconstitutional and violate the owners' First Amendment rights.

That case could go to trial early next year, Lirot said.

Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at (813) 259-7616 or amccartney@tampatrib.com.

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