Bikini clubs sue in Hillsborough County

TAMPA, Florida (AP) — Bikini clubs in the Tampa Bay area are suing Hillsborough County over a law that prohibits customers from touching bar employees who are wearing nothing but bathing suits.

Three owners of bikini bars are fighting an ordinance that prohibits scantily clad employees from touching customers in an establishment that sells alcohol.

The bar owners filed a lawsuit last week in federal court, saying the county's ordinance illegally restricts their right to free speech. They want an emergency order blocking the ordinance until a jury trial can be held.

Bikini bars are different from strip clubs in that dancers remain covered. They also serve alcohol, banned from clubs where nudity is permitted. Neither Pinellas nor Pasco counties has ordinances regulating them.

Local governments say the clubs invite prostitution, illegal drugs and lewd behavior. The owners argue dancers have a constitutional right to self-expression.