Florida hotel points fingers after DeSantis moves to strip its liquor license over ‘lewd’ drag show

A major Florida hotel cast off blame after the DeSantis administration announced that it was moving to strip its liquor license over a sexually explicit Christmas-themed drag show with children present.

The Hyatt Regency Miami hosted “A Drag Queen Christmas” in December, which included performers rubbing prosthetic breasts and genitals on the faces and mouths of attendees, exposed rears, simulated masturbation, “graphic depictions of childbirth and/or abortion,” according to a complaint the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation filed.

But the Hyatt’s general manager said the city of Miami owns the venue where the drag show took place and that a third-part manages it.

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“The event in reference was hosted at the city-owned James L. Knight Center, which is a third-party operated venue adjacent to Hyatt Regency Miami,” Amir Blattner said in a statement to Fox News. “All programming and ticketing is managed by the third-party operator.”

“Hyatt’s only role at the James L. Knight Center is to provide food and beverage concessions,” he continued.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announced Tuesday that it was beginning the process to remove the hotel’s liquor license. The administration had also sent a warning to the Hyatt ahead of the event. 

“Sexually explicit content is not appropriate to display to children and doing so violates Florida law,” wrote the Florida governor’s press secretary, Bryan Griffin. “Governor DeSantis stands up for the innocence of children in the classroom and throughout Florida.”

According to DeSantis’ office, the hotel has 21 days to request a hearing on the matter. Blattner clarified the Hyatt would keep its liquor license in the meantime.

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“We are reviewing this complaint and will address the situation directly with the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation as part of the administrative review process,” Blattner wrote.

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Initially promotional materials for the event included the words “all ages welcome,” but were updated to “recommended for audiences 18+” following the DeSantis administration’s warning.

“As a result, minors attended and were knowingly admitted,” the regulations department’s complaint states. “During the Show and in the presence of persons less than 16 years of age, performers appeared on stage wearing sexually suggestive clothing and prosthetic female genitalia.”

Sexual remixes to popular Christmas songs such as “Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer,” were also played with explicit lyrics including, “You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen Vomit and Stupid and Dildo and D***s-in…” and “Then one soggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say ‘Screwdolph with your nipples so bright won’t you guide my sleigh tonight,” according to the department.

Neither the James L. Knight Center nor the city of Miami returned requests for comment. ASM Global, the group that manages the venue, according to its website, also didn’t return a request for comment.

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