After 11 years under the same name, the Erotic Emporium will soon become the Exotic Emporium. No, it isn't a marketing decision based on some consultant's study. The adult merchandise store at 1520 S. Highway 17-92 in Seminole County is making the change to satisfy county authorities.
Adult businesses in unincorporated Seminole must comply with county rules related to the designation of new "combat zones" or else gird for costly court fights. Existing businesses operating outside the newly designated zones must meet the county's conditions or risk losing permission to stay where they are.
Erotic (soon to be Exotic) Emporium chose to accept the county's terms, in the process incurring about $20,000 expense for new signs, landscaping, lighting and irrigation. Even so, the store and other adult businesses could be headed back to the drawing board; the Seminole County Citizens for Decency, a group that wants to create even stricter requirements, has collected 10,000 signatures on their way to forcing a referendum to overturn the current law.
