Porn Film Shot On Miami Beach Island Raises Legal Questions
MIAMI BEACH - (CBS4) - A porn film recently shot at a remote Miami Beach island is causing a stir among city leaders who are saying the production company should have asked for a permit.
But it's a catch 22 for the production company. That's because the city would not have granted the permit to shoot pornography on Monument Island nestled between the Venetian Island and MacArthur Causeway.
Even though the island is only accessible by boat, it is a city park and Miami-Dade voters recently approved a $1 million renovation to restore and beautify the once littered, abandoned park.
The 50-minute film titled "Island Adventure" was posted on an adult movie website on February 5th.
The 110-foot obelisk honoring Florida pioneer Henry Flagler is part of the adult movie's backdrop – a fact that has at least one local historian huffed.
"They should not be desecrating that island," local historian Seth Bramson told CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald. "It's hallowed ground."
City officials say it's unclear if they broke any laws. But filming a sex scene in a public park could at least land someone with an indecent exposure charge – that's if anyone witnessed it and complained to police.
That was not the case when they filmed this latest production, said the porn production company's lawyer Lawrence Walters.
"The last thing they want to do is create problems," Walters told the newspaper. "It was apparently produced on a deserted island with no people around to witness the filming."
Assistant City Manager Hilda Fernandez told the newspaper that filming porn on public parks is not appropriate.
"This is not an uninhabited island miles off the coast," Fernandez said. "It's in the middle of a very busy bay. You can't go filming pornos in public parks."
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