§ 19-73. Construction.

(a)

This article shall apply to the county (as defined) and shall be liberally construed to accomplish its purpose of reasonably regulating sexually oriented businesses and adult entertainment establishments in order to reduce or eliminate adverse secondary effects of such businesses and establishments. Barnes v. Glen Theater, Inc., 510 U.S. 560, 111 S. Ct. 2456, 115 L. Ed. 2d 504 (1991), and the litigation in St. Johns County (See Cafe 207, Inc. v. St. Johns County, 856 F. Supp. 641 (M.D. Fla. 1994); affirmed, Cafe 207, Inc. v. St. Johns County, 66 F.3d 272 (11th Cir. 1995); cert. denied, 134 L Ed. 2d. 647 (U.S. April 22, 1996). This article shall not be construed to authorize any illegal act under federal law, state law or county ordinance. This article is intended to reasonably regulate such matters in order to reduce or eliminate the adverse secondary effects of commercial establishments and businesses. The regulation of alcoholic beverage establishments is also addressed in the County Code and other provisions of law.

(b)

Unless otherwise indicated, all provisions of this article shall apply equally to all persons, regardless of sex. Masculine pronouns, such as "he," "his," and "him," as employed in this article, shall also be construed to apply to feminine pronouns and neutral pronouns, unless the context suggests otherwise. Words used in the singular number shall include the plural number, unless the context suggests otherwise.

(Ord. No. 02-03, § 3, 2-4-02)