MIAMI, FL — It looked like school would be out forever and the all-male Cocodorm would have to disband – but law-savvy U.S. Judge Marcia Cooke says that the “dorm dudes” haven’t taken their final exam just yet. In a move that was just as successful as its inspiration, the city of Miami had attempted to shut down the Cocodorm.com webcam house, claiming that it qualifies as an adult business and was therefore operating illegally from within a residential neighborhood.
In spite of the city’s Code Enforcement Board enthusiastically agreeing in 2007, Judge Cooke saw it differently.
Cooke cited a nearly identical case in Tampa to justify her decision. In that case, a private residence populated exclusively by women and broadcasting webcam images via Voyeurdorm.com came under fire from the city. An appeals court had ruled against Tampa, observing that none of the website’s customers actually visited the location.
“As a practical matter,” the court concluded, “zoning restrictions are indelibly anchored in particular geographic locations. In the case of Voyeurdorm.com, “the public offering occurs over the internet in ‘virtual space.’”
Cooke agreed, stating that Miami’s legal argument that wording differences between the two cities meant the situations were also different, “must fail.”
Cocodorm.com promotes itself as housing the “hottest and horniest” black and Hispanic “dorm dudes,” who cohabitate and fornicate on a webcam performance schedule, each receiving at least $1,200 plus free room and board in return. No information about what college the dudes allegedly attend is available.
