Joe Redner, who died Friday at 86, will likely be remembered as Tampa's "strip club king," but his community legacy is equally defined by decades of legal fights, political activism and an unwavering willingness to challenge authority regardless of the consequences.
His daughter Joy Lynn Redner wrote on Facebook that he passed away in his sleep. His attorney, Luke Lirot, told WFLA-TV that Redner died during a second battle with cancer.
“We love you. You will be missed Dad,” his daughter wrote.
Redner became one of Tampa’s most recognizable city figures as a libertarian advocate for free speech, an activist for medical and home-grown marijuana, a real estate investor and a successful businessman whose challenges to government regulations often landed him in court or jail.
He ran repeatedly for Tampa City Council, Hillsborough County Commission and other offices, fought for LGBTQ rights and free-speech protections, and later won a landmark court battle allowing him to grow his own medical marijuana after battling Stage 4 lung cancer. It was overturned on appeal.
Many of his political foes were among those paying tribute after his death.
“He's one of the colorful figures in Tampa's history who's made us who we are – good, bad and different. It's part of the flavor of this community," former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn wrote on Facebook.
Buckhorn, while on the city council, clashed with Redner for a decade, pushing the “six-foot rule” between nude dances and patrons to eliminate lap dances in his clubs. Redner even ran against Buckhorn to take his council seat and lost.
Eventually, their relationship became more cordial and Redner even voted for Buckhorn for mayor. “I respect how he treats me," Buckhorn once said.
Redner admitted many of his public maneuvers were to give his view a platform: running for office to force debate or purposely getting arrested to bring attention to a law. He once claimed to be gay in a legal filing to grant himself standing to sue over a Hillsborough County policy banning the acknowledgement of gay pride.
“Joe plays it to the hilt,” said former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco.
Redner and Greco clashed in the 1990s over Redner’s attempt to open an adult club in Ybor City. Greco cited zoning rules, while Redner said Centro Ybor developers wanted to keep a strip club out of the historic district. As a result, Redner famously refused to shake Greco’s hand, a slight the former mayor credited to political theater.
Redner's activism extended to local media, where he co-hosted a long-running public-access television program focused on First Amendment rights and civil liberties.
“Joe Redner was a Tampa original, a successful entrepreneur, a defender of individual liberties, and a man who was never afraid to stand up for what he believed was right,” Tampa City Council Chair Alan Clendenin wrote on Facebook. “His willingness to challenge government, advocate for equality, and defend our constitutional freedoms made him a towering figure in Tampa’s history.”
Redner, born in New Jersey, was a child when he moved to Tampa with his mother and older brother. He attended Chamberlain High School but dropped out before graduating.
He has recounted entering the adult-entertainment business in the 1970s after working at a club where his wife danced. Over time, he got into management and started his own clubs, including Night Gallery on Hillsborough Avenue and Tanga Lounge on the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
Over the years, he developed a reputation for treating the dancers and other employees with respect.
In the early 1980s, he opened Mons Venus on North Dale Mabry Highway, and its success helped build Tampa’s reputation for nude dance clubs. Not everyone in town appreciated the notoriety, and his clubs dealt with multiple raids and arrests.
“Think what you will about Joe Redner, but there's no denying he was a trailblazer,” Tampa photographer Chip Weiner wrote on social media. “He never backed down from a fight, often putting civil rights at the forefront of his battles. He challenged authority, questioned the status quo, and wasn't afraid to ruffle feathers along the way.”
A 1983 cocaine arrest at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game became a turning point for Redner. After his felony conviction, he gave up drinking and hard drugs, took up regular exercise and eventually adopted a vegan diet.
In the late 2000s, Redner helped finance his son Joey’s launch of Cigar City Brewing and owned the Spruce Street warehouse where the brewery operated. He held a stake in the company before his son sold his controlling interest in 2016. Redner also retained the property after the sale.
After 10 years in remission, Redner said he was again diagnosed with cancer in 2022.
In 2025, at age 85, Redner turned over the operation of Mons Venus to longtime rival Don Kleinhans, owner of 2001 Odyssey. The deal allowed Redner to step back from managing the club while retaining ownership of the property.
“Joe Redner was a tireless advocate for the community,” City Councilman Bill Carlson wrote on Facebook. “He had a brilliant legal mind and helped shape a lot of political thought. Most people know him for one business but he actually was successful in many business ventures. His passion for people and fight for justice will be terribly missed.”
