Port St. Lucie News Ft. They don't have a right to ban entertainment, even for a period of time, under any authority that I'm aware of,'' said David Wasserman, an Orlando-based constitutional lawyer. Exemptions would be made for private residences, hotels, dance studios, schools and universities, religious institutions and government-owned places. Facing public outcry, County Chairman Richard Crotty has said he planned to water down the ordinance to a late-night entertainment moratorium. Orange County officials immediately criticized the proposed complex, claiming it would be a source of drug distribution and late night rave parties.
Local officials have a history of cracking down on Orlando's burgeoning dance-club scene.
Orlando city officials passed an ordinance in 1997 forcing bars and nightclubs to close at 3 a.m. in an effort to end all-night dance parties, or raves. The ordinance is believed to have stifled Orlando's burgeoning reputation as a center for electronica music. The debate over the dance club ban has more to do with stodgy officials being out of touch with the city's youth, Wasserman said. They're afraid of the younger generation's culture,'' he said. Please read it.