(WSVN) - He is a die hard University of Miami football fan who got his body painted for the UM vs FSU game. He was excited ’till he was kicked out of the game because he did not have a shirt on. Now, he’s calling Help Me Howard to find out if the stadium can do that.
Orlando loves owning his own gym, but he says being the boss means you never get to coast through the day.
Orlando Robleto, big UM football fan: “No way. I work triple, you work triple. I basically live here most of the day.”
Rise Gym is one of Orlando’s passions. Another?
Orlando Robleto: “I’m a diehard UM fan. I’ve been going to games since 1986.”
For big games, Orlando likes to pay to have his body painted.
This year, his girlfriend Lisa joined in to show their support when UM took on FSU.
Lisa Borrero, excited about UM-FSU game: “I was wearing a bikini top and shorts, fully covered shorts.”
Orlando Robleto: “I like to paint myself and go beyond so people can look at me and say, ‘Wow this guy went above.'”
The paint looked like a long sleeve shirt on Orlando. Both he and Lisa had their backs painted to finish the look … and cover her bikini top.
As they headed into the game, things started well.
Orlando Robleto: “As soon as I walk into the stadium, the staff, police officers [were] complementing how we look.”
Orlando and Lisa have season tickets in the club level section, but when they got there a stadium attendant came over…
Orlando Robleto: “‘Well, you are not allowed to sit in club level if you don’t have a shirt. It’s the rules!'”
Lisa Borrero: “‘The bullet point with inappropriate dressing,’ and I said, ‘How are we inappropriate?'”
The stadium employee said Lisa could stay in their club level seats. Orlando could not.
Orlando Robleto: “I kind of got upset and told her, ‘looks like I have a shirt.'”
Another fan gave Orlando a shirt and he put it on, but he wanted to show off his body paint, so he and Lisa left the club section to head to the stands where you always see pictures like these of guys without their shirts on.
Lisa Borrero: “I had a feeling she was going to follow us, and she did.”
He was kicked out, and as the officers took Orlando out of the stadium, he at least got more compliments.
Lisa Borrero: “There were security guards high fiving us. Employees telling us how great we look.”
Orlando and Lisa missed the game. All that money for club seats and their body paint was wasted.
Orlando Robleto: “For that game between the painting and the tickets, we spent close to $1,200! Just for that game.”
Well Howard, can a guy be kicked out of a football game for having his body painted like a shirt instead of wearing a shirt? And can he get his money back?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “A private business can set any dress standard they want, so in that way, they could force Orlando to leave the game. But Orlando was told he was dressed inappropriately and had to wear a shirt in club seats, and it’s clear you don’t have to wear a shirt in other sections. No one told Orlando that before he walked into the stadium, and just saying it’s inappropriate is insufficient since other guys in the stadium had their chest painted, just not as well as Orlando. So yes, he should get his money back for the two tickets.”
I then contacted the Miami Dolphin Organization that owns the stadium and oversees all the events there, including UM games.
They talked to Lisa and Orlando, who told them what they wanted for being thrown out of the game.
They are now working things out and both sides have agreed to keep their possible settlement confidential.
A spokesman for the organization told me they apologized to Lisa and Orlando for their experience and added that they should not have been called out for their attire, meaning Orlando can still get painted for his Hurricane games.
Orlando Robleto: “I am still a UM diehard. I’m still gonna watch em.”
Why couldn’t Orlando sit in a cheaper section? Because you have to sit in your assigned seats. Of course you see people move all the time. Orlando just ran across an employee and she wasn’t going to cut him any slack.
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CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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