Tarrant County leaders pass new sexually oriented business rules for unincorporated areas
Tarrant County leaders have unanimously passed new rules surrounding sexually oriented businesses in unincorporated areas.
Clubs will now have to close by 1 a.m. They will have to have their parking lots cleared by 1:15 a.m.
The Tuesday decision from the Tarrant County Commissioners Court comes as a result of decades of issues surrounding Temptations Cabaret, a strip club located just past the Fort Worth line at 12290 Camp Bowie West Blvd.
Commissioners, led by Precinct 4 representative Manny Ramirez, began efforts to shut down the business following a double stabbing at the strip club on May 30. A shooting that left three injured and one dead forced the county’s hand further.
The state filed a public nuisance lawsuit against Temptations that following Monday that will be handled by District Attorney Phil Sorrells.
Neighbors to the club say they have complained about safety concerns for years to no avail from county leadership.
In 2022 alone, Temptations received 134 calls for service from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. Since 2018, four people have been shot and killed at the strip club.
Ramirez can’t speak to why there had not been any action taken prior to now, but told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday that when he started his tenure, enough was enough. He also applauded the commissioners and district attorney’s office for their swift action to halt the club’s operations.
Temptations Cabaret is now closed. Ramirez wrote in a text to a reporter that the county is moving forward with potentially pulling its permit to make sure the club stays closed.
“If there’s any ability that we have to make an impact, to take a stand, then we will, and that’s what we’ve done,” Ramirez said.
Temptations sits in a fast-growing area of the county where, in addition to the homes already there, nearby Walsh is supposed to add another 50,000 residents.
Rules that limit sexually oriented businesses being within 1,000 feet of residential areas mean that when business permits come up for reinstatement every year, new development that changes the conditions around the club will need to be factored in.
The county’s sexually oriented business review board will meet June 21 at 9 a.m. to decide whether to pull Temptations’ sexually oriented business permit. The club cannot operate without that permit since it does not have a liquor license.
