Daytona Beach, Florida has a reputation for a lot of things. I don’t think that I really have to expand on that statement as pretty much everyone knows what sorts of things Daytona Beach is famous for. If you don’t know about Daytona Beach, well then I suggest that you take a trip to Wikipedia or a college frat house somewhere in order to find out. However, what I didn’t know about Daytona Beach is that there are no tattoo shops there. Well okay, technically that’s not true: there is one tattoo shop in Daytona Beach, called Daytona Tattoo Design Company.
At Daytona Tattoo Design Company, customers can walk in, check out the portfolios of the various artists who work there, sit down and discuss what tattoo works best for them with any of the artists, decide what they want and then pay for it, but – get this – they CAN’T GET TATTOOED THERE!! No such luck. Instead of being able to get tattooed at Daytona Tattoo Design Company, after paying for their tattoos customers are then asked to either hop aboard the provided courtesy van or drive themselves to another shop which is located in nearby Volusia County. Once there, they will be able to get their desired tattoo.
I don’t know about you, but to me that set up is absolutely insane. But don’t blame the folks at Daytona Tattoo Design Company, they’re just obeying the laws of Daytona Beach. Apparently, the town that has the reputation for all things party draws the line at getting tattoos. That’s right; headshops, sex shops, liquor stores – all of these things are apparently just fine and dandy, but tattoos are strictly forbidden.
And just incase you haven’t heard enough stupidity, here’s some more for you: city officials in Daytona Beach are considering lifting the ban on tattoo shops within the city limits, by allowing shops to open on Indian Lake Road, a heavy industrial area which is five miles from the city centre. Yes, it’s a fine place for a tattoo shop, where the only traffic comes from those visiting the area’s five-star attractions: a prison, a behavioural hospital and a shooting range. I am not making this up. Furthermore, even for this shitty deal to go through, the city council will require a “super majority” to vote in favour of it all.
Are you kidding me? Well, the vote took place as of Wednesday night, but I’ve yet to hear the results. I’m sure the entire Daytona Beach tattoo community is waiting with baited breath to hear the final decision of the city council morons in charge. What a joke.