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Tampa swingers club gathers enemies
By CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD © St. Petersburg Times, published October 23, 2000
Neighbors, meanwhile, were swapping rumors. Some figured it must be an art gallery, which would explain why a lot of visitors wore fancy dress. Others said a brothel, which would explain why no one showed up before 10 p.m. The truth, when it came out, made some neighbors twitter and others reach for their children. Now, 10 months after they arrived, the swingers' haven in Old Seminole Heights, called Taboo Tampa, has become the latest battleground in the city's sex wars. The mayor calls it an embarrassment. Police want it closed. State Attorney Jack Rudy is prosecuting the owner, John Melfi, for violating zoning regulations. The patrons say the legal attacks have less to do with the city code than with their lifestyle, which they call deeply misunderstood but far more common than city leaders think. "It's very difficult to meet other people in the lifestyle," said Melfi, 36, who helped open a similar club in Atlanta and hopes to open more in other states. Melfi, who rents the house, hoped the location would be discreet. He estimates 2,500 people have gone through the door since he opened in December. On a recent Friday night, a St. Petersburg Times reporter toured the house. A sign in the front lobby warns visitors of possible nudity. In mingling areas dimly lit by candlelight and bulbs meant to resemble candles, visitors lounge on overstuffed sofas, ignoring chess and backgammon sets while pornography plays on two TVs. In one room, patrons chat tentatively around a long table arrayed with platters of finger food. Everyone is clothed. From there, halls lead to a series of bedrooms equipped with beds and sex toys. Upstairs, in the "couples room," some half-dozen mattresses are laid out side by side. Besides the rule barring alcohol, swingers say they obey a code of etiquette. People must ask before joining another couple. Swingers say they come in all types. Some just watch, which falls under "soft swinging." Their first six months in the lifestyle, say Don and Linda White, that's mostly all they did. White said she used to be bothered by the thought of her husband sleeping with other women. "It's something you work on," she said. "Especially women. We're so much more emotional with the whole sex thing." Now, she said she thinks of swinging as merely "playtime." "There's no emotional tie," she said. "It's just like any other toy. When you're done, you put it away." - Researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Christopher Goffard can be reached at (813) 226-3337 or goffard@sptimes.com.
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