Strip club regulation not in DeSoto plans

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Written by: 195 on Mar 11, 2010

DeSoto County, clad in land-use policies that make it tough to launch a strip club, has no immediate plans to take action to regulate such businesses, officials said Tuesday.

The state Senate last week, with no opposition, sent Gov. Haley Barbour legislation that would give county supervisors authority to regulate strip clubs in rural areas. The House passed the measure in January on a 113-3 vote.

"Thankfully, in DeSoto County we have zoning ordinances that regulate all our land uses, and in this regard there are significant hurdles for anyone who might try to start such a business," said county administrator Michael Garriga.

He cited restriction to industrial areas, acreage requirements and building setback rules that have kept strip clubs under wraps and out of the county.

The bill was filed in the House following numerous complaints over The Pony, a club that opened in Lowndes County on U.S. 45 about 10 miles from Starkville.

The club, featuring a 20-foot anatomically correct statue of a horse, gained notoriety after a January visit by some Mississippi State University football players and recruits.

If Barbour signs the law as expected, it would take effect July 1. Currently only the Gulf Coast counties of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson have authority to regulate strip clubs

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