Not only does sports radio provide listeners with a source of entertainment, but it can still serve the community as an outlet for breaking news.
That was on display last week in Miami, when FOX Sports 640 afternoon host Andy Slater broke a story featuring Tootsie’s, a popular local strip club, suing the city to stay open past their midnight curfew. The curfew was being enforced to help slow the spread of COVID-19. But Tootsie’s claimed the mandate was an infringement on their constitutional rights, citing the first amendment and the inability for people to enjoy exotic dance entertainment.
Ultimately, Tootsie’s won the civil lawsuit against Miami-Dade County, earning them the right to remain open past the county’s coronavirus curfew which began nearly three months ago. The curfew was being enforced by the county, despite Governor Ron DeSantis already granting South Florida into a Phase 2 reopening.
“The Miami-Dade curfew orders conflict with [DeSantis’ executive order] because they prohibit Tootsie’s from operating; they prohibit employees and contractors from working; and they reduce capacity to zero for the entire time subject to the curfew,” Judge Beatrice Butchko wrote in the ruling.
The win for Tootsie’s could have an impact on all businesses in South Florida, especially restaurants, bars and clubs being forced to close at midnight.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
