FLORIDA'S FRIENDLIEST TOWN KNOWN FOR SWINGING GETS ICONIC NEW STORE BUT NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY

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A new ice cream store in Florida's friendliest town that is known for swinging has sparked a huge debate. 

The Villages, a retirement neighborhood in Florida where residents get around on golf carts, is set to welcome Twistee Treat, a long-time staple in the Sunshine State that is easily distinguishable by its 25ft cone-shaped buildings.

'It is an eyesore,' wrote 84-year-old resident Marlene Ferrero to the local Villages News. 

'I think the design would have been more suitable for the new family areas Middleton and Eastport. The architectural design of those two areas might blend well with the Twistee Treat,' Ferrero added to the Daily Mail. 

Her comments sparked fierce debate online as other residents of the community, known for throwing swingers parties, chimed in.

'I will not tolerate any Twistee Treat slander!' one woman quipped on Facebook. 'Dip your ice cream in cherry coating, then get back to me!' 

Others joked the ice cream cone should become an upside-down pineapple - a symbol connected to swinging - or in the shape of a loofah to attract the retirees. It is rumored The Villages residents use colored loofahs on their golf carts to signal their sexual preferences. 

'Maybe an upside-down pineapple would be more appropriate,' one wrote. 

'Do they want it in the shape of a loofah instead?' another wrote. 

'I heard they wanted the design to look more like a loofah,' a third joked. 

Others said they enjoyed Twistee Treat's iconic 25-foot cone design, saying it's 'whimsical' and 'cool' and definitely 'not an eyesore.' 

The gigantic ice cream cone has a bright brown and yellow base and is topped with chocolate-dipped vanilla ice cream. 

Twistee Treat CEO Gary Marlin Jr told the Daily Mail that he was sorry that some residents did not like the design but said their 'ice cream cone is kind of iconic.'  

He added that many residents had been asking for a Twistee Treat outlet there for years. 

The closest one to them is in Ocala, a roughly 30-minute drive away. The elderly residents wanted one closer that they could drive their golf carts up to and take their grandchildren to while they visit the luxury enclave. 

'Many grandparents and everyone in the village area [are] looking forward to bringing their grandchildren to have that, and other family members, just to have the memory that they had growing up with Twistee Treat,' Marlin told the Daily Mail. 

'They seem excited for it.' 

Twistee Treat was founded in 1983 and serves 40 flavors of ice cream. 

The Villages is home to more than 145,000 residents, surpasses the size of Manhattan and encompasses five zip codes. 

The neighborhood has been in the spotlight many times for its alleged kinky preferences, from having a rumored thriving swingers scene to its loofah system.

According to a Buzzfeed report, sticking a loofah on your golf cart antenna signals that you're into swinging. So does wearing a red button or gold shoes. Letting your shirt tag stick out tells people that you're open for business.

In 2009, The New York Post dubbed it 'ground zero for geriatrics who are seriously getting it on.' 

One restaurant worker told DailyMail.com in 2014 how he was paid $100 to bartend a party that turned into a ten-person free-for-all. 'All in their late 50s to mid '60s – and by the time I left they didn't need any more drink. There was a full-blown orgy going on.' 

However, many residents have denied the rumors. 'We're not all swingers. We don't all have STDs,' a woman named Heather told YouTuber Peter Santanello in 2023. 

'It's not what you think and it's frustrating. People just have a preconceived idea of what The Villages is about... People just assume that there's a real negative thing going on here and it's not.' 

Twistee Treat is due to open in The Villages in spring. 

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2026-03-01T20:12:33Z