ORANGE BEACH Ala. – It’s more than just moral outrage, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said.

“Just from a business perspective, our brand is family friendly and clean which creates a business niche which separates us from any other competitor to the east,” Kennon said at the city’s March 12 work session.

But there is also some moral outrage to go around.

“I went into Alvin’s Island last week and I don’t know if I have the words to describe what I saw on the T-shirts that they were selling in our town,” Kennon said. “I’m just absolutely mortified of what they are selling our kids and selling them as our name, Orange Beach, Ala.”

Kennon displayed a picture for the audience showing the T-shirts that had obscenities and sexual themes. The shirts were on sale at Alvin’s Island and Surf Style shops. The Alvin’s Island shirts had “Orange Beach, Alabama” across the bottom.

“If you’re offended by the language, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m just never been so disappointed and sickened in all my life. This is just a small sample of the vulgarities you guys would just not believe.”

Tuesday the City Council will discuss adopting an ordinance that will require the stores to put the merchandise in a separate area for adults only. Gulf Shores will consider a similar measure on Monday night.

“I’ve passed out a draft of an ordinance that would prohibit the display of vulgar, lewd and obscene merchandise in areas that are accessible to children under the age of 18,” City Attorney Wanda Cochran said. “It doesn’t outlaw the sale of them it but at least they would have to segregate this type of offensive inventory and put it in a place where it is not openly displayed for children.”

Kennon said the shirts go against the image Orange Beach is trying to maintain as a family destination.

“It shows absolutely no respect for who we are, what we believe and where we came from,” he said. “This caught me so off guard that I just didn’t know what to make of it.”

The shirts might be a hit with the college spring breakers, Kennon said, but they aren’t the only visitors the city is expecting this month and all summer.

“I guess I can deal with it if it was college kids, but there’s going to be a bunch of high school kids through here, all the baseball families coming here going in to buy stuff that families buy and they see this garbage,” he said. “This is protecting our brand from trash like that.”

Councilman Jerry Johnson said if that brand is important enough, you have to protect it from every intrusion.

“I’ve said all along our quality of life is very good,” Johnson said. “If you don’t work to keep it, they’ll take it away from you.”

Kennon said the city is limited in what it can do, but wants to take steps now to curb the offensive shirt sales.

“I don’t know what we can do with free speech and they can sell what they want to sell,” he said. “But I won’t ever step foot again in Alvin’s Island and I don’t know if I’ll go to Surf Style ever again. I hope the folks in Orange Beach will take that same stance. This is our family community.

“What we can do is make a statement as a community. Even if we don’t win this battle I think by taking a stand we can win the war.”