Code Changes Aimed At Cracking Down On Illegal Massage Parlors

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL -- Hoping to crack down on massage parlors and bathhouses used as fronts for prostitution and human trafficking activities, the New Port Richey City Council voted unanimously to amend the city's land development code criteria at Tuesday's meeting.

Council members first became aware of the problem last October when New Port Richey Police conducted an undercover operation and then raided two so-called massage parlors on U.S. 19 (see related story).

Three Asian women were arrested for prostitution during the raid. The owner of the massage parlors was also cited for code violations.

Police said they found sleeping pallets in back rooms of the massage parlors where Asian woman, possibly victims of human trafficking, had been sleeping.

The nonprofit Polaris Project, which runs the national human trafficking hotline, released an extensive report in which it identified Tampa Bay as one of the nation's hubs for the trafficking sex slaves from China and South Korea. Other hubs include Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco, California; Miami; Chicago, Illinois; and Houston and Dallas, Texas.

Polaris said the women are promised a job and better life in the United States. However, once here, they're exploited for sex. Unfamiliar with the area and unable to speak the language, they become trapped in a life of prostitution.

The nonprofit said one way to fight these activities is by enacting and enforcing regulations such as closing times. New Port Richey's new amendments include restricting hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The city also adopted an amendment making it illegal for employees to live on the premises.

The new criteria adopted by the city council will not impact legitimate Florida-licensed massage therapists. Instead, it's intended to make it easier for the city's code enforcement department to regulate massage parlors and give the police department ammunition to shut down illegal operations.

Image via Polaris

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