Clearwater- A billboard for a Hooters restaurant in Clearwater, Florida was changed after the Mayor of the city – on his way home from church one Sunday – reacted negatively to its innuendo.
The billboard, visible to westbound motorists on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard near the restaurant, read, “Liquor in Clearwater, Poker in Vegas.” Mayor Frank HIbbard said, “The first time I read it, it went over my head, and then I got it. I thought, ‘That’s not good,'” according to the St. Petersburg Times.
Hibbard called Hooters co-founder Ed Droste and the billboard was changed to read, “Liquor in Clearwater, Casino in Vegas.” The city attorney did not think the sign violated any city ordinance. Mayor Hubbard pointed out that it is a very gray area between what is obscene and what is not, but he thought the sign crossed the line.
A similar billboard along I-275 in Tampa has not been changed.