8 July 30 - August 5, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Cash rules everything How do strippers get apartments in Miami? BY ASHA ELIAS A t New Times, we strive to meet the needs of our commu- nity, to answer your burning questions, and, whenever pos- sible, provide solutions to your local problems. That’s why, when Redditor PowerfulPlace656 asked the r/Miami subred- dit, “How does a stripper get an apartment in Miami?” we sprang into action. “Someone please help me,” read the user’s straight-to-the-point post, and although New Times was unable to reach the Redditor directly, we hope this explainer will come in handy. With OnlyFans models renting out mansions for content creation and dancers putting on public strip shows from their living rooms, clearly there is a path for sex workers to secure housing in South Florida. The most upvoted comment on the Red- dit post, from user eclecticpiano, offered helpful advice: “You’re not doing anything illegal. Stripping is a job. You’re a sole pro- prietor. I’ve been an independent contractor since 1998, and I have never been turned down for an apartment. If they ask your oc- cupation, say consultant. Do you deposit tips in the bank? So long as you have proof of in- come, you’re fine.” Others were less forthcoming, like Zeal- ous03, who unhelpfully responded, “Mam, this Wendy’s.” The stigma of stripping Stripping is one of the more lucrative ways to make money in Miami, but the profession is still stigmatized by some. That, combined with the fact that most exotic dancers earn the bulk of their income in cash tips, can make it difficult to secure leases and loans. We asked Stacy*, a local luxury real estate agent who works with clients ranging from CEOs to strippers and OnlyFans models, to share her tips for securing housing as a strip- per or one of the many, many people working in Miami’s sex economy. Tip No. 1: Rent from an owner Rental buildings and condos that use property managers can be roadblocks for strippers look- ing for approval on a lease. Stacy recommends focusing on buildings and units where they can rent directly from an owner. “They just want to see that you can afford it,” she says. Tip No. 2: Have money in the bank Owners want to know that renting to you will be a safe bet. Because some exotic dancers and OnlyFans creators don’t have established credit, Stacy recommends depositing as much cash as possible into the bank to provide pro- spective landlords with proof of income. Tip No. 3: Pay several months in advance Since tips can fluctuate seasonally and with the economy, Stacy recommends paying for six months to a full year of the lease in ad- vance, if possible. This not only protects the dancer but also gives security to the landlord. Tip No. 4: Use a euphemism “I usually say, ‘she’s an influencer or an enter- tainer,” says Stacy. I won’t say, “She’s a strip- per at Booby Trap.” Tip No. 5: Find a building with a lot of open inventory Look for buildings with motivated sellers. “I had a situation recently where we only had to give the regular three months up front, and [the tenant] was good because some of the units had just been sitting on the market los- ing money,” Stacy says. Tip No. 6: Have a benefactor put the lease in your name More than half the strippers Stacy works with have a sugar daddy paying their rent. She rec- ommends asking the benefactor to put the apartment in your name and either pay the full year’s rent upfront or place the money in an es- crow account to pay rent monthly for the dura- tion of the lease. “One of the strippers I work with said, ‘Thank you for having this dude pay a year for me,’ because times became slow.” [email protected] ▼ Culture Culture Stripping is one of the more lucrative ways to make money in Miami, but the profession’s stigma can make it hard to secure housing. Konstantin Shishkin / AdobeStock Sounding off New Times readers react to our sex and dating columnist’s take on the “gold-digger Miami girl” stereotype. BY CELIA ALMEIDA A t New Times, staff and contributors strive to keep you in the loop on all things Miami news and culture. But af- ter we’ve done our work, we also listen to your feedback. Recently, sex and dating columnist Asha Elias wrote a piece about how, although the stereo- type exists for a reason, not all women in Miami are golddiggers. It elicited some (very!) strong feelings. We heard from readers who called BS based on their personal experiences navigat- ing Miami’s notoriously difficult dating scene. (“Last serious date i went on a chick told me she was 60k in debt,” one reader commented. “Needless to say that was the only date.”) Oth- ers copped to their gold-digging ways: “Hey now, let’s not stereotype. Plenty of us want a connection and $500 meals ,” another user commented. The column garnered well over 300 com- ments on Facebook alone. Here’s a sampling of what our readers had to say. “This is the biggest lie I’ve seen any news out- let post.” – Mykael “Miami Vice, Scarface, Dexter, Cocaine Cow- boys, didn’t hurt Miami. Versace getting shot didn’t hurt Miami. Nothing hurts Miami, everyone wants to be here. Let Gold diggers find their mines. All relationships are transactional, every- thing has a price.” – Simon “Todays women are easily influenced by real- ity tv and social media. Good luck.” – Marco “This is HILARIOUS!! They made Miami the porn capital of the world and are upset women want to be paid for it!!!” – Tatiana “Hey now, let’s not stereotype. Plenty of us want a connection and $500 meals ” – Kelli “The problem is there are plenty of simps who are willing to give these women their life savings. I just signed off on a condo transfer of an older gen- tleman who gave it to his gf in his will. She straight up told me that’s what he promised her. His poor adult children who didn’t even know her….” – Keith “Where? Last serious date i went on a chick told me she was 60k in debt. Needless to say that was the only date. Dodging bullets around here is a sport these days lol.” – Tony “The truth about this is that it’s not due to women at all. It is because of men’s misogyny and toxic masculinity propped up by a machista way of thinking that which makes that type of girl exist. It’s a pa- triarchal culture standard. If you want to play dumb about this then I al- ready know you’re upholding that cul- ture.” – Irmin “The women with jobs cant be out at night party- ing and at all the fancy high end spots unless they go the gold digger direction. Its a forced necessity inorder to be out all night in one of the most expensive cities on earth. Career fo- cused women have a difficult time because they dont have many social interactions other than clubs, bars and restaurants. Its very impor- tant for men to try and get involved in social activities and clubs to meet other people. The find your significant other at night is a horrible game.” – Craig “The only men in Miami that are concerned about “gold diggers” are men with very little “gold” to dig. These young manosphere men want to use up the best years of a young wom- an’s beauty as an arm ornament while they are “building,” but then have ZERO intention of stay- ing with them for the longer haul or marrying without a prenup which basically ends up with the woman ending up an old woman with little to nothing in the end. So it’s not the gold diggers that are the problem- these are just women gathering their value. It is the male “gold grub- bers” who want beautiful women for nothing in return.” – Anastasia “Men want a woman for her beauty and body but god forbid she wants financial security. A woman whose hair, makeup, outfit, perfume and nails cost well over 3k ain’t using you for a free meal bro. It’s always those with no gold com- plaining about women being “gold diggers”. Comical” – Mandy “I’m looking for both sorry ” – Anna “LAST SERIOUS DATE I WENT ON A CHICK TOLD ME SHE WAS 60K IN DEBT. NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT WAS THE ONLY DATE.”
