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Joe Redner

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Joseph Richard Redner (July 2, 1940 – October 16, 2026) was an American businessman, activist, and sometime political candidate. Known as the "father of the nude lap dance", he was the long-time owner of the Mons Venus, a nude strip club in Tampa, Florida, until its sale to a competing club owner in May 2025.[1][2]

Early life and career

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Joseph Richard Redner was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, on July 2, 1940.[3][4][5]

Redner was engaged in legal battles with the Tampa City Council, which tried to place restrictions on the strip club from the 1980s.[6] Mons Venus and Redner filed suits that reached the Florida Supreme Court and became case law in many court cases.

In 2005, Redner was awarded over $7 million in a case filed when the Florida Department of Transportation seized one of his properties by eminent domain to construct a freeway. While the Department of Transportation argued for a property value of $3 million, the jury determined that its highest and best use as an adult entertainment facility made it more valuable than typical commercial properties.[7] Later that year, he filed a federal lawsuit against Hillsborough County commissioners after they banned the county itself from recognizing gay pride displays.[8] The county filed a motion to have the case dismissed for lack of standing, since it believed that Redner had no personal interest in gay pride events, and no personal injury to seek redress. Redner then updated the case with a statement that he was gay, though he had previously never mentioned it publicly.[9] Clay Risen's New York Times obituary for Redner asserts that he was not, in fact, gay.[5] His fight against the ordinance pitted him against local politician Ronda Storms on many occasions.

He ran for County Commissioner as an independent in 2006. During that run Redner had a chair thrown at him on the Bleepin Truth LIVE in a debate with a Republican pundit, Tony Katz. The clip from the show was carried on 300 TV stations across the country, giving Redner a tremendous boost in name recognition in the process. Redner's website, The Voice of Freedom, was initially created to inform citizens of his ongoing legal battles with the government, but later expanded to cover other First Amendment issues. He was a host of a weekly, live call-in television.program titled First Freedom TV on Tampa Bay Community Network (TBCN.org), a local Tampa Bay area public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV channel.

On March 6, 2007, Redner garnered the number two spot in a six-person race for Tampa City Council, District 1, and faced the incumbent chairperson in a runoff March 27, 2007. Joe Redner gained 44% of the vote but lost the election.[10]

Redner appeared on Live Prayer to debate his beliefs and defend his business.[11]

Medical marijuana case

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In 2018, Redner made headlines again when he sued the Florida Department of Health for the right to grow his own marijuana. Redner was in remission from lung cancer, and his doctor recommended hemp juice as part of his treatment. Florida passed medical marijuana via a constitutional amendment in 2016, but juicing is not one the methods approved by that law, so Redner sued to be able to grow and juice his own. On April 17, 2018, the judge in the case lifted a stay that had delayed the effect of her earlier ruling allowing Redner to begin growing marijuana while the case proceeded, a decision the Department of Health said it planned to appeal.[12] Upon appeal, Redner lost the case in April 2019. The Florida 1st District Court of Appeal found "that 'use' does not mean 'grow' or 'process,' as Mr. Redner argues".[13] In June 2019, Redner's lawyers took steps to ask the Florida Supreme Court to take up the case.[14]

Death

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Joe Redner died in his sleep at his home in Tampa on October 16, 2026, at the age of 86.[15][5]

References

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  1. ↑ "Does nude-club king's cash come dressed like the rest?". Council for American-Islamic Relations. Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2006.
  2. ↑ Calise, Gabrielle (May 9, 2025) [2025-05-08]. "2001 Odyssey acquires Mons Venus to carry on strip club legacy in Tampa". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ Zink, Janet (March 25, 2007). "He's the ultimate outsider: City Council election: Gwen Miller vs. Joe Redner". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Florida Second District Court Of Appeals". judyrecords. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Risen, Clay (October 27, 2026). "The 'Strip Club King' of Tampa Has Died". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
  6. ↑ Warren, Meryl (January 26, 2001). "Warren Report". Florida State University Film School. Archived from the original on July 10, 2004. Retrieved November 12, 2006.
  7. ↑ "Adult club owner wins big in eminent domain case". Tampa Bay Business Journal. August 8, 2005. Archived from the original on December 22, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2006.
  8. ↑ Varian, Bill (June 16, 2006), "Hillsborough bans county from recognizing gay pride", St. Petersburg Times, archived from the original on March 11, 2007, retrieved March 28, 2007
  9. ↑ Liberto, Jennifer; George, Justin (December 13, 2005), "'Out-front' and now, openly, he's out", St. Petersburg Times, retrieved October 23, 2007
  10. ↑ Zink, Janet (March 28, 2007). "Miller fights back challenge by Redner". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
  11. ↑ "On my television program one night in May 2004, I deviated from my normal format which is to take live phone calls from viewers, giving them Biblical counsel for their problems and praying for them. I had as my guest Joe Redner, a Tampa businessman who is also the long-time owner of a famous strip club in Tampa. My purpose for having Joe on my program was to allow him to share his beliefs and why he feels owning and operating an adult establishment is acceptable. I am well aware that Joe has been debating this issue legally and morally for over 30 years and has his "talking points" down pat. I am also very aware that he views Christians as his enemy and the people who are "out to get him."" Live Prayer Daily Devotional for June 1 2005 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine; Accessed 08-23-2007
  12. ↑ Rosica, Jim (April 17, 2018). "Judge lifts stay in Joe Redner 'home grow' marijuana case". Florida Politics. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Court Again Rejects Joe Redner's Pot Arguments". Health News Florida. News Service of Florida. May 29, 2019. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Joe Redner Takes Marijuana Fight To Supreme Court". WUSF. News Service of Florida. June 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Tampa 'Strip Club King' Joe Redner dies at 86, family says". WFLA. October 17, 2026. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
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