From www.wdbo.com- The City of Orlando could allow pornography stores to operate in parts of town where they’ve never been before, after a legal threat sent lawyers and planners looking for new zoning rules.

Right now, there is only one adult entertainment business in the city limits of Orlando: the Fairvilla Megastore on Orange Blossom Trail.

But the city’s Municipal Planning Board approved new zoning rules on Tuesday that would expand the parts of town where such businesses can operate to “industrial park” zones. Those are scattered throughout the city, including a large area near the Orlando International Airport, on South Goldenrod, and north of Silver Star Rd near John Young Parkway.

Assistant City Attorney Kyle Shephard says the city recognized that parts of the current code may be unconstitutional.

“If we don’t do that in our zoning code, a court might do it for us,” Shephard told WDBO News. “What we don’t want to have happen is a court telling us where an adult entertainment facility is permitted within the city. We’d prefer to have our code reflect the values that we want it to reflect.”

The new rules would extend the distance a porno store must be from a school to 2,500 feet, instead of the 1,000 feet currently required.

The changes come after Shephard says a businessman said he wanted to open a new adult entertainment operation in the city, and questioned whether Orlando was violating the 1st Amendment.

“What he said was, ‘We may want to open a facility. We recognize that your code is on its face unconstitutional and unless you want a court to tell you where these facilities can go, you might want to change your code.’ And that’s what we’re doing.”

The full City Council must still approve the change.