Report: Strip Club Owners Donate $40,000 To Crist Campaign
By Space Coast Daily // October 8, 2014
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA –According to Rick Scott’s campaign spokesperson, Charlie Crist for Florida’s reported campaign finance records reveal $40,000 has been donated by two companies that operate strip clubs in Florida: SB Productions and J.W. Lee Properties.
“It looks like Charlie Crist is in bed with some unsavory characters once again,” said Rick Scott for Florida spokesperson Greg Blair. “On a desperate hunt for campaign cash, he’s calling up Jim Greer’s old friends, who – big surprise – have legal troubles of their own,” “When everyone around him seems to end up in prison, we don’t expect anything else from a corrupt politician like Charlie Crist.”
According to a release from Scott’s re-election campaign, SB Productions and J.W. Lee Properties are companies owned by Brandon Samuels, John Blanke, and William Beasley. You can see their names on these filings. J.W. Lee is doing business as Scarlett’s Cabaret, a Hallandale strip club:
“The OIG investigation revealed that thirty-nine of the listed attendees were not present, and that J.W. Lee is the corporate name of Scarlett’s Gentleman’s Club in Hallandale, Florida, a strip club. According to the affidavit, the charges incurred at Scarlett’s were for ‘alcoholic beverages’ and ‘private room expenses’ where ‘girls provided lap dances, nude dancing and conversation.’” (PHT Defrauded into Paying Expenses for Strip Clubs, Fishing trips,” Westside Gazette, 12/23/04-12/29/04)
Samuels, Blanke and Beasley were recently sued for misclassifying exotic dancers as independent contractors and failing to pay minimum wage and overtime rates:
“Adonay Encarnacion, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. J.W. Lee, Inc. dba Scarlett’s Cabaret dba Scarlett’s of Hallandale, FL; J.W. Lee Properties, LLC; Ybor Operations, L.C. dba Scarlett’s of Ybor Strip; BZLY, Inc.; M.S.B. Download Table Land Holdings, Inc.; SVC Joint Ventures LLC; Benore Ventures, Inc.; SB Productions, Inc.; Brandon Samuels, individually; John Blanke, individually; and William Beasley, individually, Case No. 0:145cv5619275 WPD (S.D. Fla., August 22, 2014) alleges that the Defendants have a longstanding policy of misclassifying their employees, including the Plaintiff, as independent contractors and refusing to pay the employees at the applicable minimum wage and overtime rate. Ms. Encarnacion worked as an exotic entertainer and dancer for the Defendants. The Defendants, headquartered in Hallandale Beach, Florida, operate adult entertainment clubs. The Individual Defendants are officers or managers of the Corporate Defendants.” (“JW LEE: Misclassified Exotic Dancers as Contractors, Suit Says,” Class Action Reporter, 10/7/14)
