South Florida's Sexy Adult Secret
MIAMI (CBS4) - For years California has been the leader in producing adult films. But in the last few years South Florida has been taking a larger portion of the porn pie.
"I have been running a porn company for the past five years," said Collin O'Neal, who runs, World of Men, an adult film company out of South Florida.
They shoot all over the world in exotic locations, but sometimes O'Neal takes advantage of the scenery in South Florida.
"We try to pretend that nobody has sex. We just happen to be filming it," said O'Neal who sat down with CBS4's Jorge Estevez in his South Florida apartment. Even though O' Neal says he has left the business and is currently selling his company, more businesses want in. They want to take advantage of South Florida's exotic locations.
"There is a lot filmed in Florida," said adult actress Felicity Jade. "It is hot and humid here. Sex is hot and humid."
Jade works for Girlfriends films which just wrapped three films - all shot in south Florida.
"We rented a huge mansion. We shot everything inside," said Jade.
With South Florida as the back drop, more and more adult movies are being made here with adult actors like Jade who not only work in Florida but also live here.
"Florida is the only other place where adult stars came come and film besides Los Angles, said Jade.
More proof of the adult industry's impact, is Exxxotica, the nation's leading convention on romance love and sex. It began in South Florida back in 2006. Each year, 20,000 people watch as exhibitors showcase the newest adult products and porn stars meet their fans.
"When I first moved here two years ago, there was a hand full of companies. Now there are pages of companies," said Sarah Jay who has been in the business for more than a decade and works closely with the Exxxotica convention.
Sarah owns, and also graced the cover, of Pumps-n-bumps Magazine published in South Florida. It showcases the women of Exxxotica which makes its return to Miami Beach on May 20th.
"The more people that come here to be in the porn industry the bigger it gets. The more it grows the more people will come," said Sara Jay.
But is filming people having sex legal?
"The bottom line of it is that all pornography is legal until it is declared obscene by a jury," said Daniel Aaronson, Vice President of the First Amendment Lawyer's Association. "As long as the community in which you are shooting pornography in, accepts it, then it remains pornography and not obscenity and it is lawful."
So far the south community hasn't made shooting pornography an issue.
"Because it is such a quiet industry, it hasn't made our radar other than the fact that we just know that they are there," said Delrish Moss, a commander for the city of Miami Police Department.
Actors agree the secret is blending in.
"If you make a little bit of noise then you may dig up some problems," said O'Neal.
But until the problems get dug up, adult film shoots continue to boost the economy.
"They are bringing in money to the local people. People get the money and spend it locally, so it helps the local economy," said Jade.
So until people make enough noise to stop it, it will continue to be a legitimate business with a profit margin that keeps consenting adults coming back for more movie shoots right here in South Florida.
