Tarrant County leaders adopt new sexually oriented business rules for unincorporated areas

Tarrant County leaders have unanimously approved new rules for sexually oriented businesses in unincorporated areas.

Clubs must now close at 1 a.m. Your parking spaces must be vacated by 1:15 a.m

Tuesday’s decision by the Tarrant County Commissioners Court is the result of decades of problems surrounding Temptations Cabaret, a strip club just over the Fort Worth line at 12290 Camp Bowie West Blvd.

Commissioners led by District 4 Representative Manny Ramirez began efforts to shut down the business after a double murder occurred at the strip club on May 30. A shooting that left three injured and one dead further forced the district into action.

The state filed a public nuisance lawsuit against Temptations the following Monday, which is being handled by District Attorney Phil Sorrells.

Neighbors of the club say they have complained to district management about safety concerns for years to no avail.

In 2022 alone, Temptations received 134 calls for service from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. Four people have been shot at the strip club since 2018.

Ramirez can’t say why no action has been taken yet, but told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday that “enough is enough” as he begins his term. He also praised the commissioners and district attorney’s office for their quick action to shut down the club’s operations.

Temptations Cabaret is now closed. Ramirez wrote in a text to a reporter that the county may revoke its permit to ensure the club remains closed.

“If we have the ability to make a difference and take a stand, then we will do that, and that’s what we did,” Ramirez said.

Temptations is in a rapidly growing area of ​​the county that is expected to add an additional 50,000 residents to the existing homes in nearby Walsh.

Rules restricting sexually-oriented businesses from within 1,000 feet of residential areas mean that each year, when business permits come up for reinstatement, new developments that change the conditions around the club must be taken into account.

The county’s Sexually Oriented Business Review Board will meet at 9 a.m. June 21 to decide whether Temptations’ sexually oriented business license should be revoked. The club cannot operate without this permit as it does not have a license to serve drinks.