Boom or Bust: Miami

Image: Near West Avenue Condos, South Beach

Miami has become a breeding ground for the $2.5 billion a year online pornography industry. Homegrown Bang Bus has become, according to its proprietors, “World famous”. Bang Bus features a white bus, a demented and wired cameraman, a hung over driver and hardcore depravity. The bus travels all over Miami as the hardcore sexual acts take place. You see the skyline in the background, the Palmetto, the airport, the MacArthur Causeway, you name it. If you live in Miami, it could be that the Bang Bus, at one point or another, was next to you. Bang Bus is part of the Miami-based Bangbros.com, Inc. The company represents over a dozen pornography sites, many of them based in Miami. The Miami New Times has made its readers aware of their existence.

To add to the debauchery of our city, there is another site, 8thstreetlatinas.com. This site, too, is based out of Miami. It markets itself as a repository for desperate illegal immigrant women willing to do anything for cash. The site gets its name from S.W. 8th Street, which with its long row of motels, has always been known for prostitution. This site is also part of a large network of explicitly named porno sites many of which are based out of Miami.

The incredible thing is that many of these videos take place in condos. The Flamingo and Venetia are just two to name. It would be interesting to know if the condo Associations knew about these activities, and if so, what, if anything, can they do about it. Bang Bus, particularly, has become well known. This became evident to me at a recent condominium annual election I attended. One of the candidates had a Bang Bus t-shirt on. Either this guy had no idea what he was wearing, didn’t care, or thought that no one knew what he was wearing. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

In late 2004, ABC local 10 did a report on Bang Bus. They had a reporter pretend to be a model and got some information about the operation but didn’t get deeper into the story. It amazes me that Miami’s burgeoning role in the online porn industry has remained largely unnoticed by Miamians. Meanwhile, whether we like it or not, our city is heavily associated with debauchery, depravity, greed, drugs, and filth. Everyday, these local porn sites get updated with girls desperate for cash and willing to sacrifice their bodies and dignity for it. They are flown in, some appear to be illegal immigrants, and others are local strippers, escorts, and prostitutes. Still, their activities are affecting the perception and character of our city.

Image: Taken across from the Santa Maria Tower in Brickell

Apparently, Miami provides a large supply of these desperate women. It isn’t clear why, though. Could it be the immigration inflow that comes through the city? Could it be Miami-Dade’s lax strip club laws? Could it simply be that these types of women are drawn to Miami because it is associated with sun, sex, and money? Whatever the reason(s), Miami’s role in the growth of the online porn industry is big. It ranks sixth overall in importance to the porn industry in the United States. The only reason it does not rank higher is because that list factors in all aspects of the industry including, physical products, video production, conventions, and websites. Were it to only factor in websites, then Miami might arguably be number one—an ignominious reality.

Image: Taken across from Cite near the site of Quantum and 1800 Club