Despite COVID surge, lap dances still OK in Miami-Dade. But drinks stop at midnight
There was a brief moment in the last 24 hours where Miami-Dade appeared to be cracking down on lap dances during an alarming surge of COVID cases in Florida’s most hard-hit county.
That moment has passed, and a senior county administrator said Tuesday that lap dances do in fact remain available and legal during Miami-Dade’s four-month coronavirus emergency.
The confusion began when the office of Mayor Carlos Gimenez posted changes Monday to the June 4 emergency order that allowed strip clubs and other entertainment venues to reopen once the county approved their COVID operating plans.
Those operating plans included provisions for lap dances to continue provided dancers wore gloves and masks, the same rules required of barbers and massage therapists. Miami-Dade approved those plans, and places like Booby Trap and Body Miami reopened even as COVID trends were worsening in the county.
On Monday, Gimenez appeared to end the lap-dance provision with language requiring 10 feet of distance between “performers” and “patrons.” Radio sports host Andy Slater spotted the wording first, and posted it on his Twitter feed Monday night. The Miami Herald and other news outlets followed Tuesday after the mayor’s office described the 10-foot rule as new.
It turns out, that’s not the case. The 10-foot rule existed in the original June 4 order, and a top Gimenez deputy said it does not apply to lap dancers. “The lap dances are not considered a performance,” Deputy Mayor Jennifer Moon said. She confirmed lap dances remain authorized in Miami-Dade. She did not say what the county considers them if not performances.
Several strip clubs reopened in Miami just last week after having safety plans approved by the county, complete with guidelines about social distancing, operating at limited capacity, temperature checks, hand-sanitizing stations, proper signage/markings, frequent cleanings and mandatory masks for all.
“Close contact is permitted if both the dancer and the person are wearing the right PPE,” Moon said last week. “It’s the same as what is required for someone who is giving a massage.”
That was before Gimenez began targeting nightlife and large groups during the Fourth of July long weekend to try and reverse a spike of cases in Miami-Dade and in other parts of the state and the country. Earlier orders closed beaches Friday through Monday, and also banned parades all together.
The Monday order contained language that also imposed a countywide last call, and this one has no end date. The rule requires restaurants to stop serving drinks at midnight, even if they remain open for food service. The rule doesn’t apply to drinks-to-go, and allows alcohol service to resume at 6 a.m.
UPDATE: This story originally stated that lap dances had been banned according to the latest amendment to the Miami-Dade County emergency order. The story was rewritten to reflect that the amendment did not apply to strip clubs.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Despite COVID surge, lap dances still OK in Miami-Dade. But drinks stop at midnight."
