Swinging Richards Sues North Miami Beach

[GoodFella69]

EZE, looking forward to your update. I'm scheduled to have an overnight lay-over at FLL next week and was planning to drive down to SR's for some fun. I sure hope the men are still dancing in the buff until at least next Friday.

 

Goodfella

[EZEtoGRU]

OK.....I'm in my hotel room on Miami Beach!! Just had dinner and will watch Dancing With the Stars........then off to SR's to see what's happening. I'll report back.

 

Lousy weather. I understand it has rained off and on for several days now. Also quite windy.....the surf is really up!

[stripfan]

Here is another article about the situation. This is one from South Florida Gay News. It gives a few new details and explains the arguments raised by SR. The writer, Norm Kent is also a well-known attorney in South Florida. I hope he will be updating his news site as additional information comes available. Also looking forward to EZE's report!

 

http://www.southfloridagaynews.com/news/local-news/6063-city-tries-to-shut-down-nude-gay-club.html

 

stripfan

[JT Brooklyn]

OK.....I'm in my hotel room on Miami Beach!! Just had dinner and will watch Dancing With the Stars........then off to SR's to see what's happening. I'll report back.

 

Lousy weather. I understand it has rained off and on for several days now. Also quite windy.....the surf is really up!

 

Hopefully we will be hearing that the Guys are doing what they do best at SR? You hopefully have checked in at the tail end of the Wet Weather!

[citylaw1]

EZE, looking forward to your update. I'm scheduled to have an overnight lay-over at FLL next week and was planning to drive down to SR's for some fun. I sure hope the men are still dancing in the buff until at least next Friday.

 

Goodfella

 

Met with my "friend" from SR 2 days ago. Apparently they are fine through May 16th. After the 16th, they are to be prepared for arrest by the police, and SR management has agreed to bail out any dancers should they be arrested.

[EZEtoGRU]

Quick Report:

All was well at Swinging Richard's last night. There were 12-15 dancers and a decent sized crowd for a Tuesday. I will give a more complete report after tonight's visit.

 

Off to Joe's Stone Crab tonight with a "date" and then over to SR's after that.

[EZEtoGRU]

OK.....I'm back at the airport. The weather has improved thankfully although it is still somewhat windy.

 

In addition to going on Tuesday night, I visted SR's again last night. On Tuesday, I arrived at about 10:45pm and the place was already busy with 12-15 dancers and maybe about 30-40 customers. I met a very nice guy named Corbin. He hails from Pensacola and danced at SR's Atlanta previously. Extremely nice and fun to talk with and he has a hairy chest (which is nice). I hung out with him for about 1 hour. There was a mix of dancers of most types although there were no really big guys. This is a gap that the club probably needs to fill. During the week at least, Twist seems to have more big guys. I don't know if on the weekend, SR's has some bodybuilders. On Wednesday night, I arrived at about 9:30. It was extremely quiet with only about 7 dancers at that time and only 3 customers. By 10:00, things had picked up considerably. More dancers had arrived (including Brazilian Will who I had seen on my prior visit). I spent time again with Corbin and it was a good time overall. This club is so much nicer inside than all the other male strip clubs in South Florida. I really like the fact that they keep the music volume down a bit so that you can hear when you speak with someone (what is that about Johnny's that they want to blow out everyone's eardrums?? I don't get that.). One new thing that was just introduced last night is they have added two types of frozen drinks. They were giving out free samples to most customers. The first one was a frozen Margarita made with Patron. The second one was a Frozen Pina Colada made with Malibu Black. Both were excellent but I preferred the Pina Colada. Corbin liked the Margarita more.

 

THE LEGAL CASE

On Wednesday, both the owner and the Manager were there and I had the opportunity to speak with both about the situation and they were quite open and happy to discuss it with me. I did tell them that I am a contributor to this website and asked if they minded my sharing the information. They had no issue with that, and indeed encouraged me to get the news out to interested folks. Here goes:

 

The bar had a further meeting with the City of North Miami Beach yesterday. The City is now saying they will not start enforcing the law until June 16 which is a one month extension from the original date. Even so, SR's plans to continue with their Federal suit and they are very confident they will prevail. They were unequivocal that they WILL NOT be leaving their current location. Also, whilst there have been some media reports that the city will apply the same rules to the titty bars in NMB, SR management has been in contact with said strip clubs and there is no indication they have been put on notice as well. By the way, I drove past Deans Gold (one of the str8 titty bars) both nights and their parking lot was packed. On Tuesday night there must have been nearly 100 cars there. It's hard to imagine that the City is going to pressure that club and risk losing the tax revenue.

 

SR's owner/manager said that in the worst case scenario, they may have to have the dancers wear g-strings and stop the on-stage nudity for a period of time but that lapdances and the champagne rooms would continue to operate as they do today. Management foresee that there could be a several month period where they operate this way between the date the law starts to be enforced and when they have a ruling on their federal case.

 

In summary. Sr's is totally confident in their case and they ain't going anywhere. Things are operating completely normally right now and there will be no change until AT LEAST June 16. I saw plenty of swinging dicks on stage in the two days I visited!! I encourage everyone to continue to support them and have no concerns about going there. They are in it for the long haul.

[bigvalboy]

Thanks EZE for such a thorough report. I think it is sad that the city has taken on this fight. SR is such a clean and well run club, that it would be sad to see things change....Did you have a chance to check out Dudes? Curious as to your take.

[paulsf]

I was at SR's last Saturday night and it was packed with customers and more than 30 guys dancing. There were several big guys there and overall a good selection of all types.

[BSR]

Let me chime in here as well ... EZE, thanks for the update, especially the news from the horse's mouth (owner/manager). Occasionally (straight) strip clubs here in Las Vegas get into trouble with the law, but it's rarely for sexual peccadilloes. If they get heat from the police, it's almost always money-laundering and sometimes drug-dealing. Law enforcement should clamp down on those activities! But SR Miami runs such a clean operation (ahem, uh, you know what I mean) that they should be allowed to keep doing what they're doing. With its zero-tolerance drug policy and breathalyzer tests for employees, SR Miami won't be bringing down the neighborhood. If anything, it'll put North Miami Beach (which I've never thought to visit before) on the gay tourist map. I've been to the Gulf Coast of Florida a bunch of times but never the Atlantic side. When I do get it together to make a trip, hopefully SR Miami will still be around and thriving. That'll warm the cockles of my libertarian heart.

[+ newatthis]

Thanks!

 

...This club is so much nicer inside than all the other male strip clubs in South Florida...

Or, in my experience, anywhere else.

[brettnyc]

Just back from a weekend in S. Florida - the weather was warm and sunny - perfect weather for taking in the beach and the boys. I made it to Swinging Richards for the first time on Friday night - arriving there around 9:30, which I came to learn was unfashionably early for Miami nightlife. The guy collecting the parking fee was a hottie, and looked like he belonged on stage - and the guy inside collecting the admission fee was even hotter - big, young muscle stud who it turned out would be the best looking guy I'd see all weekend. The club itself is quite spectacular for an male strip club - light years removed from the dingy, seedy theater that housed the Gaeity theater back in the good old days. SR Miami is sleek in a Vegas night club way, with high ceilings and a panolpy of large flat screens playing non-stop male porn over the bar, as if you needed any more stimulation in addition to the swinging cocks in front of you on stage...

 

The place was sparsely populated and I thought I had it all to myself when I entered. There were a couple dancers in the center stage doing their thing and the emcee encourages the audience to tip the dancers in their arm-bands, so that they will strip naked only after each has 10 dollars in tips. I'm not sure I found the coaxing by the emcee

necessary. I saw a few dancers who looked familiar from other clubs in New York and Montreal. Around 10:30, the club started coming to life with more patrons, and I had hopes that a few more dancers would be added to the line-up, but it seemed that the rotations of 3 dancers performing on stage at the same time made for seeing the same guys more often than you'd expect a club the size of SR. What was more disappointing was that the caliber of the guys on stage wasn't on par with most of the dancers I see regularly at Adonis or Club 20 - with a few exceptions of course.

 

On Saturday, I took a spin to South Beach and after fighting traffice and driving in circles to find parking close enough to Twist, I caught up with a dancer there I'd met before and got acquainted with a few new guys. The stand-outs for me were Danny & Orlando, both of whom made the most of the lap dances on a bar stool - which in itself is something of an oxymoron. I met a guy named Gabriel, who was very built and said he danced at the former Gaeity a week before it closed. There was also a very friendly Russian dancer, whose name escapes me. I have a bit of mixed feelings about Twist, given that the venue is very small and cramped, but the guys are very big and not cramped --- but there's not much space to appreciate fully as there is at clubs like SR, Stock, Adonis, etc.

 

I decided to end my Saturday night at Swinging Richards - actually Sunday morning...being that it was almost 1:00 a.m. by the time I left Twist and arrived at Swinging Richards. When I entered the club I was blown away by the size of the crowd...there had to have been hundreds of patrons packed into SR, and there were the same dancers from Friday night ...some of whom I enjoyed seeing again and some I didn't. One of my favorites was Riley, who is a big, hung stud with a beard. There were entirely too many patrons to engage any of the dancers and most seemed content to collect tips on stage ...as I saw very few guys going into the lap dance area - in fact, the lap dance area appeared to be empty or close to it most of the time. The dancers weren't overly friendly...I'd say most are polite, but its clear that a dollar tip doesn't buy much of their time, nor should it when there are hundreds of drunk, horny customers waving dollar bills in their faces. Overall, I'd give SR another shot, but compared to my experiences at Adonis and Montreal, I think the clubs there offer more bang for your buck.

[EZEtoGRU]

Thanks for the report Brett. I am surprised SR's didn't have a better lineup of weekend dancers. I always just assumed that it would be better on Friday and Saturday. I have only been during the week. BTW, I agree that the guy who takes money at the door is hot!! He was not there last Tuesday....but thankfully he turned up on Wednesday.

 

I agree that Twist is a bittersweet experience. One can find very hot guys there...but there is zero privacy during the lapdances so it does take away from the experience somewhat.

[stripfan]

The City is now saying they will not start enforcing the law until June 16 which is a one month extension from the original date.

 

....

 

In summary. Sr's is totally confident in their case and they ain't going anywhere. Things are operating completely normally right now and there will be no change until AT LEAST June 16.

 

EZE is right on the money:

 

From SR's facebook post:

 

Hello Friends,

 

Due to all of the signatures and amazing supporters, Swinging Richards would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has signed our online petition to keep the Miami location open. We want to say thanks to every person who patronizes Swinging Richards. Those of you who passed the message on to all of your family and friends in efforts to show us support, we greatly appreciate it.

 

Swinging Richards has been allowed to remain open with business as usual until June 16, 2012. In order for June 16th to represent the day our doors stay open forever, we ask that each and every person continue to advocate for our cause. Getting more signatures and putting more pressure on the city officials will help. The more overall support we have the better. So far we have shown the city of North Miami Beach that Swinging Richards is important to the community.

 

Please continue to visit the club for weekly events. We are more than delighted to see you and we pledge to always make sure you enjoy your time at Swinging Richards. Thank you.

 

 

*Remember to sign the online petition if you have not done so.*

 

http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-north-miami-beach-stop-discrimination-against-gay-club-treat-all-clubs-equally.

[rickvt]

If the article below is correct, visitors to Swinging Richards in Miami better head over there

in the next four weeks if you want to see the boys in the buff, as the club has dropped the

lawsuit and the city will begin enforcement of the no full nudity rule on June 16th. Perhaps

someone on this board can visit the club and get the "scoop".

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/09/2800543/cities-take-different-stances.html

[EZEtoGRU]

If the article below is correct, visitors to Swinging Richards in Miami better head over there

in the next four weeks if you want to see the boys in the buff, as the club has dropped the

lawsuit and the city will begin enforcement of the no full nudity rule on June 16th. Perhaps

someone on this board can visit the club and get the "scoop".

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/09/2800543/cities-take-different-stances.html

 

Interesting article. Thanks to the prior poster for this. Sounds to me like the strip clubs should exit North Miami Beach and move to North Miami. I'll be in Miami sometime in the next two weeks and will try and find out what's happening at SR's. Of course, this will be before the law is set to be enforced in North Miami Beach

[rickvt]

Interesting article. Thanks to the prior poster for this. Sounds to me like the strip clubs should exit North Miami Beach and move to North Miami. I'll be in Miami sometime in the next two weeks and will try and find out what's happening at SR's. Of course, this will be before the law is set to be enforced in North Miami Beach

 

Hollywood FL. City Manager charged with DUI after visiting Swinging Richards. The club doesn't need this type of publicity, especially when their permit to serve liquor is under the gun.

 

http://www.bradenton.com/2012/05/25/4053226/florida-city-manager-charged-with.html

[EZEtoGRU]

I was back at Swinging Richards last night (Wednesday). Pretty quiet. Maybe 10 dancers and 20-30 customers. Lots of twink type dancers....which I found somewhat concerning. 2-3 bigger guys but nothing I would call muscular.

 

I did speak with the General Manager again and he confirmed that they had withdrawn the prior lawsuit as the city had promised to find a better solution for all three nude strip clubs. Turns out that won't likely happen...the city is due to come back to the clubs on June 1 with news. Unless they get good news from the city, SRs is likely to file suit again in early June. Meanwhile, they seem to be in limbo right now. I sense it's hard for them to attract any better talent as long as the legal issues are pending. Wednesday's dancers were pretty mediocre with only a few exceptions.

 

NEWS FLASH: Swinging Richards hopes to open a third US location sometime in the reasonably near future!!

[atlantaobserver]

NEWS FLASH: Swinging Richards hopes to open a third US location sometime in the reasonably near future!!

 

Don't bet on it. How bad is business down therre right now? I don't think they realized the snowbirds leave in the summer.

[EZEtoGRU]

Don't bet on it. How bad is business down therre right now? I don't think they realized the snowbirds leave in the summer.

 

Will have to see if they really open a third location. They seem to have already picked the city. Having said that, I think things are getting more complicated in Florida than they had expected. This could slow other growth plans down. Florida always has a high and a low season. Things always start to slow down after Easter. SR's Miami is a beautiful club and I hope they can work through the legal issues....and fast! They also need to get the dancer quality improved if they hope to attract a loyal local crowd that is willing to open their wallets on an ongoing basis.

[EZEtoGRU]

I forgot to mention that I was at Twist in SOBE on Tuesday night. Also very quiet although they had a better lineup of dancers than Richards did on Wednesday.

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

"SR's Miami is a beautiful club and I hope they can work through the legal issues....and fast! They also need to get the dancer quality improved if they hope to attract a loyal local crowd that is willing to open their wallets on an ongoing basis."

 

How about banning smoking in the club? Why does management allow the 10-15% of the patrons that smoke ruin the beautiful experience for the rest of us with their vile and dirty habits. I'll never understand it.

 

Bozo

[Irtwo]

Interesting item about the Hollywood FL. City Manager. Did being caught at SR out him or was he already out? (Also, he makes $172K a year as city manager?! Nice gig!)

[+ Lucky]

"SR's Miami is a beautiful club and I hope they can work through the legal issues....and fast! They also need to get the dancer quality improved if they hope to attract a loyal local crowd that is willing to open their wallets on an ongoing basis."

 

How about banning smoking in the club? Why does management allow the 10-15% of the patrons that smoke ruin the beautiful experience for the rest of us with their vile and dirty habits. I'll never understand it.

 

Bozo

 

Exactly.

[EZEtoGRU]

I agree on the smoking issue but, to be fair, this is not unique to Swinging Richards. It's a Florida-wide problem. Also, I think the smoking issue is the least of SR's problems right now. Their first priority is working through the legal issues. Priority#2 IMHO is attracting a better quality of dancers. Without addressing those two issues, the club won't survive.