Bill proposed to make adult industry 21+

As a two-story strip club is being built on Fort Myers Beach, Governor Ron DeSantis has a decision to make. Can people under 21 work in the adult entertainment industry?

Some state lawmakers think if you’re under 21, you shouldn’t be working in the adult entertainment industry, but the owners of those businesses disagree.

• RELATED: Circus-inspired entertainment breaking ground in Lee County with new Vixens Cabaret

“I think if you’re 18 and you’re old enough to die for your country, I think you’re old enough to pick where you wanna work,” said John Gallagher, president of Vixens and Lookers.

House Bill 7063 passed Friday. It would prevent people under the age of 21 from working in adult entertainment establishments in an effort to combat human trafficking.

It’s a very real issue in Florida, which ranks third in the nation for reported cases.

In fact, the CEO of the shelter for abused women and children in Naples, Linda Oberhaus, told us in a prior interview that Fort Myers and Naples rank among the top three cities in the state for hotline calls.

The bill would affect all adult industry workers.

“That’s bartenders, waitresses, door girls, and the host of other people that work in the club,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher owns a few local clubs. He said that if the governor signs it, this bill will force him to fire dozens of employees.

“A lot of them are college students, and everybody wasn’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher said many of his younger employees need the flexible hours and pay.

“They can make enough money in two nights to put themselves through college and spend five nights a week working on their college degree,” he said.

Of course, on the other side of that coin is the dark world of human trafficking.

As this bill states, adult entertainment establishments are widely recognized as being a significant part of the sex trafficking world network.

Victims are often recruited to work at clubs.

“The sponsors of the bill were well-intended, but I don’t think they understood the industry,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher also worries that a new law could have other consequences.

“What’s going to happen now is all the under 21 people who work in the clubs are going to be fired and put out on the street. This is not a healthy situation,” he said.

This bill would require adult entertainment establishments to check entertainers’ identifications and would create criminal penalties for breaking this law.