A new bill in Florida would prohibit some massage businesses from operating between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
“The proposed legislation, which received unanimous support in its first committee vote on Wednesday, would also ban massage establishments from allowing anybody to live on the premises,” reported the Sun Sentinel newspaper in an article this week.
The purpose of the proposed law is to inhibit the activities of criminals that use massage businesses as a front for human trafficking and prostitution, the article noted.
According to the Sun Sentinel article, anyone who breaks the law would be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor first, and would be charged with a third-degree felony for future violations.
“There are exemptions, however,” the article noted. “The hours of operation restriction would not apply to massage practitioners based at a health care facility, hotel, motel, or inn. As well, massage therapists providing services on a doctor’s order would also not be subject to the time restriction.
“As well, a massage establishment that is zoned for residential use would not be a target of the law.”