FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Comments made to a local newspaper have raised the ire of some people in Broward County.

The story was about Fort Lauderdale spending $250,000 on robotic toilets in the parking lot bathroom at Sebastian Beach and comments the city's mayor said about the homosexual community.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle told the newspaper that families should be able to go to the park "without having to worry about a couple of men in there engaged in a sex act."

The robotic toilet supposedly can prevent sexual activity inside a bathroom stall. The toilet has a door that automatically opens after a period of time.

In the interview Naugle was also quoted as saying: "I didn't use the word 'gay.' I use the word 'homosexual.' Most of them aren't gay; they are unhappy."

Local gay and lesbian groups are uniting to show their opposition and are calling Naugle a bigot.

"It is all just hateful rhetoric that leads towards violence and sets a tone in our community that we don't need, so someone needs to put a stop to it," said activist Waymon Hudson.

Michael Albetta is head of the Broward Gay and Lesbian Democratic Caucus and said he believes the gay community is credited with bringing life back to several neighborhoods once plagued by drugs and crime.

"I think he really needs to look at this and evaluate this. Our mighty dollar is strong," said Albetta.

But Naugle said he believes their anger is misdirected. He said his interest in the special toilet is in response to residents' complaints about gay sex in the parks. And he makes no apologies for speaking out about what he calls immoral behavior.

"I have nothing against homosexuals living in our community if they're responsible, but if they're engaged in inappropriate behavior then they're going to hear from me," said Naugle.

A South Florida-based gay publication said that there have been no reports of sexual activity occurring in the city's public restrooms and that's according to a July 4 report in the Sun-Sentinel, it said.