Saggy Pants Outlawed By Florida City

OCTOBER 24--A Florida city last night passed a legal ordinance intended to crack down on the saggy pants menace threatening many U.S. communities.

Council members in the City of Cocoa voted 3-1 to ban “a person in public view” from wearing pants or skirts below the waistline, thereby exposing “undergarments or skin.” The saggy pants ban, city fathers contend, is intended to “protect and preserve the unique character” of Cocoa, a “small family oriented, suburban community.”

The new ordinance outlaws “wearing short or long pants or a skirt more than three (3) inches below the top of the waistline (crest of ilium) exposing skin or undergarments.” The ordinance includes helpful illustrations (see above) showing what “constitute a violation of this provision.”

Violators of the saggy pants provision will face an initial $25 fine. Repeat offenders will be hit with escalating penalties that top out at $100. However, a violation will not be considered a criminal offense, so police will not be cuffing anyone showing a little skin (or boxers).

Enforcement of the saggy pants ordinance will begin on January 1, which will allow Cocoa officials to inform residents of the new pants rules. (5 pages)