|
February 2016 President's Message
by Richard Mason
Election year tempts Florida legislators to make mischief
|
No matter how we try to avoid the politics of nude recreation and the free beach movement in Florida, the anti-social segment of our society finds a way to try to make us out to be evil and thus make illegal (unlawful) our enjoyment of that all-American custom of the skinny-dip. Presently, a few Florida legislators and the anti-nudist movement groups have been verbally seeking co-sponsors of a proposal to write a bill or bills that would affect nude recreation in the following manner:
• Force women to completely cover the breast when breast-feeding in public. Intent: Make top-free beaches illegal.
• Prohibit the sale of an alcoholic beverage to, or its consumption by, a nude person. Intent: Remove the enjoyment of a drink while nude; destroy the profit margin of a nudist facility; and prevent nude nightclubs from becoming a nude membership club.
• Prohibit an adult from being nude in front of a child. Intent: Make nude recreation an adult socialization.
As of this writing, the effort has not gained the status of a numbered, written bill that we can oppose, but our lobbyist is watching the effort and speaking to the leadership. If it reaches the status of a numbered bill, we will call for a grassroots effort through an e-blast as well as a mailing to our list of supporters. IMPORTANT: If you are not on our newsletter e-mail list, you may subscribe for free. (Please follow subscription instructions carefully.)
|
South Florida - A Naturist Perspective
SFFB President Richard Mason's monthly column in NUSA Sun
January 2016: Haulover Beach Popular with Nude Cruise Crowd
Richard explains how Haulover Beach is the perfect pre- or post-cruise stopover for people going on nude cruises out of South Florida. Read...
|
It is an election year and a few legislators would love to vote in favor of an anti-nudity bill, believing it would help their reelection. In the 1990s, our grassroots efforts shut down the Tallahassee legislature's phone system and bogged down the legislative session. Today, most
| It is an election year and a few legislators would love to vote in favor of an anti-nudity bill... |
legislative leaders want a more quiet legislative session so that they can focus on passing bills that favor their interests and those of their supporters. The enemies of nude recreation first lobby their elected officials to criminalize the female breast - particularly, the female nipple - because, they claim, men will otherwise run wild and sexually attack women and children. This ignores the fact that Miami Beach has been "top-free" for 30 years and there have been no such problems. Women have achieved breast equality on our Miami-Dade beaches, thanks to the efforts of SFFB and the American Sunbathing Association (ASA, now known as the American Association for Nude Recreation, AANR) as well as the forward-thinking Miami Beach Tourist Development Council and the City Commission in 1985.
It may be the long-term success of Haulover Beach, where the naturist beach is now in its 25th year, the new and equal success of Friends of Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, and the continued efforts of Ralph Collinson, President of AANR Florida (Florida region of AANR), Shirley Mason of B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Insitute, SFFB, John Schlinz of Suncoast Naturists (see below for related articles on Caspersen Beach and Florida free beach groups) and others who are tired of the lack of recognized naturist beach sites in Florida that have triggered a renewed effort by the opposition. Who knows?
Notes from the sandy beach: Bon voyage to those enjoying the Bare Necessities nude cruise on the Celebrity Constellation, February 6-16. Great ship, great islands to visit, and great people on board! If you're going on the cruise, stop by the B.E.A.C.H.E.S. / SFFB hospitality table in the Rainbow Lounge during days at sea, 10 a.m. - noon and 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Thank you for your continued support and, if you are not a current member, please consider becoming one - numbers matter. Join at sffb.com, fill out an application on printed page 7 of the Naturist Beach Guide booklet found in the news dispenser boxes on Haulover Beach, or see below left for a special membership offer.
|
Beach Ambassador training
The first Beach Ambassador (BA) training of the new year is scheduled for Haulover Beach in Miami on Sunday, February 28. The tentative dates of subsequent training sessions in 2016 are Saturday, May 14; Sunday, August 21; and Saturday, November 12.
BAs are volunteers that serve as beach monitors and greeters, a combination of block watch and welcome wagon. For their service, BAs at Haulover Beach get a cool hat, ID badge, and free parking on their duty days. Seasonal residents are welcome to participate. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a training session, contact Ken.
|
|
Final reminder: Six days of fun, growth, and community in the nude
28th Annual Mid-Winter Naturist Festival
Thursday - Tuesday, February 11-16, 2016
Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort
14125 North Rd, Loxahatchee Groves, FL (14 miles west of West Palm Beach)
Join other naturist men and women and their families from Florida and the rest of North America for the continent's first regional naturist gathering in 2016. Come for any or all of the days - it's up to you!
This nude gathering features more than 240 scheduled activities, including a broad array of seminars, workshops, sports, music and dance (including nightly drum circle around a huge bonfire), and social activities. There are also several off-site events, which include canuding on the jungly Loxahatchee River and excursions to Haulover Beach in Miami and Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, FL.
|
|
Click above for a video tour of Sunsport Gardens
Family Naturist Resort with Morley and Anne.
|
The Mid-Winter Naturist Festival is one of a series of Naturist Society-sanctioned nude events each year. Diversity is valued, and all are welcome. Preregistration is encouraged for planning purposes, but not required. (It makes check-in quick and easy.) Proceeds of Festival registration fees will benefit The Naturist Society and South Florida Free Beaches. Get details and/or register.
Meanwhile, try Sunsport Gardens' nude drumming circle, every Friday from 9 p.m. to midnight. (The first Friday of every month is a little more elaborate.) Free entry starts at 5 p.m.; visitors must depart by 2 a.m. Includes use of amenities such as the café, showers, pool, spa, and sauna. You must present your government-issued photo ID for admission. Get directions.
|
|
Huntington Beach, CA bans nude swims in municipal indoor pool
by Gary Mussell, Member, B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Board of Governors. (Click at left for the author's background.)
[This article is an update to the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) alert forwarded to our e-mail list on January 9, 2016.]
"We've been doing this for eight years. We come in and cover the windows so people can swim, play volleyball, basketball or do whatever activities are available. [The City Manager] adopted the resolution on his own with no input from the City Council."
- R. Allen Bayliss, President, Naturists in the OC
"It would be unfortunate to let all our members and followers know that we, as respectful and law-abiding naturists, are now being singled out and are no longer welcome in the city."
- Rolf Holbach, President, Southern California Naturist Association |
On January 19, about 35 naturists showed up at the Huntington Beach, CA City Council meeting to protest the City's recent change in policy about nudists' use of its gym for their monthly nude pool parties. The parties have been allowed for over eight years without incident or complaint. City ordinance forbids nudity in public places, but these are private parties. City staff working the parties are volunteers, and the windows are covered and doors locked so that the public can not attend.
The new City Attorney decided the public law extends to private events on public property and refused to allow the pool parties to continue. No action was taken by the Council, since it was not on their agenda, but there is the implied threat of legal action if the City does not rescind the policy change, which was made without the City Council's approval or a public hearing. For details, follow these links to press coverage:
• Nudists, barred from Huntington city gym and pool, say it's discrimination
• Nudists protest ban from Huntington Beach city gym
• Nudist group banned from gathering at Huntington Beach pool (includes two-minute TV news segment)
• Meet the nudists willing to sue their city for the right to get naked
|
|
Nude beach roundup
|
|
Haulover Park guard Tabitha transfers to Greynolds Park
Haulover Park guard Tabitha has applied for and received a transfer to nearby Greynolds Park in North Miami Beach, FL. She'll continue one day a week at Haulover, but on an overnight shift. Tabitha looks forward to building her résumé with additional experience and skills in this new assignment as she pursues her career with the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. Since she isn't really going away, she declined any "farewell" observance.
Tabitha has earned praise for her diligence and dedication to the safety and cleanliness of Haulover Park. She's recognized as a firm but fair enforcer of Parks Department rules on the beach and throughout the property. She has worked cooperatively and constructively on issues of importance to SFFB, and she goes beyond the call of duty in the pride that she shows for the park. Tabitha will be missed most days at Haulover, but her addition to the Greynolds Park staff is a boon for them.
SFFB information booth on Haulover Beach extends staffing to weekdays
Haulover Beach Ambassadors (see related article, above) have added some weekdays to their staffing of the SFFB information booth on Haulover Beach. The schedule varies with volunteer availability, but the booth has started to operate for three to four hours in the middle of the day on an average of three days during the week. As before, the booth is also set up at least one Saturday per month from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It's located under the South Chickee (thatch-roofed canopy) between lifeguard stations 12 and 13.
The booth has a rack of literature on Haulover and other clothing-optional beaches, resorts, cruises, and organizations such as The Naturist Society and the Naturist Action Committee. It also stocks some popular items, such as the Haulover Nude Beach front auto tag (license plate), available for a donation. (You can also order it on line.) Booth staff can answer a wide range of questions about Haulover Beach, its environs, and naturism in general. Stop by for a chat!
Sarasota County officials' unfamiliarity with Florida case law on public nudity revealed
The Free Caspersen Beach project continues to gear up to pursue clothing-optional recognition for a quarter-mile (400 meters) stretch of that beach in Venice FL, 21 miles (34 km) south of Sarasota. The project leader recently wrote to a couple of key Sarasota County law enforcement officials, asking them to cite any ordinances regulating nudity in County parks.
In response to his e-mail to the County Attorney, he heard back from the Manager of Beaches and Water Access Parks in the Sarasota County Department of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. The manager acknowledged that there is nothing in the County Code either authorizing or prohibiting nudity or skinny-dipping in a County park, but noted that any public disturbance might be addressed under other laws (presumably, disorderly conduct). He cited Florida Statute 800.03, the state's indecent exposure law, however, as prohibiting nudity in public.
The project leader wrote to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and heard back from the Community Affairs Manager, who also cited F.S. 800.03 as prohibiting public nudity. When questioned further, the Sheriff's representative was unfamiliar with the jury instructions, reflecting case law, that would be given in an indecent exposure case.
As Florida naturists know, or should know, the Florida Supreme Court has ruled that mere nudity in the absence of lewd and lascivious behavior is not a violation of Florida Statute 800.03.
It's clear that Sarasota County officials will need some educating in the law (continued at top of next column)
|
Sarasota County officials... (continued from bottom of previous column)
as a precursor to achieving clothing-optional use of a section of Caspersen Beach.
Here's what you can do to help Free Caspersen Beach:
• Sign the clothing-optional beach petition to Sarasota County Commissioners at change.org.
• Ask to be added to the Free Caspersen Beach e-mail list to be kept informed of meetings and other developments.
• "Like" or follow the project on Facebook at facebook.com/freecaspersenbeach and/or Twitter
at @suncoastjohnny.
• Consider joining Suncoast Naturists, which strengthens the group behind this effort.
• Make a donation to support the project.
New effort for recognition of clothing-optional section of Wasaga Beach in Ontario, Canada
|
Wasaga Beach, ON, Canada
(Click on map for larger view.)
|
Wasagabares, a naturist group that has existed for a number of years, has launched an effort to achieve official, clothing-optional recognition through signage on a section of Lake Huron's Wasaga Beach. The world's biggest fresh-water beach, Wasaga Beach is located in the town of the same name in Ontario, Canada, 90 miles (145 km) north-northwest of Toronto.
Naturists had frequented a secluded area of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park for many years, but were pushed to a more visible area after the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNR) put up fencing to protect an endangered species of bird. Their increased exposure caused some complaints from textile visitors. The group decided late last summer to seek a marked area to eliminate contention.
|
|
Click on flag to contact Wasagabares.
|
In September and again in October 2015, Wasagabares wrote to the Park Superintendent, but did not receive a reply. In December 2015, John Cropper, co-founder of Wasagabares and a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN), wrote to the mayor of Wasaga Beach, laying out their case. Representatives of Wasagabares went before the Wasaga Beach Town Council on December 22 to present their request for signage. After some discussion, the Council voted to refer the matter to the Town's newly created Tourism & Events Advisory Committee for further consideration.
The Committee's mandate is to "advi[s]e ... staff and Town Council on how best to promote tourism and attract / develop events that will bring tourists and identify issues and opportunities to support the growth and development of tourism and special events as an economic, community and cultural driver in Wasaga Beach." The Committee's number-one purpose is defined as "[t]o identify and provide recommendations on opportunities that will make Wasaga Beach more attractive to tourists." Wasagabares hold that their request dovetails well with this mandate and purpose.
At press time, there was no known date for the Committee to meet, but this newsletter will continue to follow and report on developments for everyone's interest, especially that of snowbirds from Canada wintering in South Florida.
For details, follow these links to press coverage:
• Group wants section of Wasaga Beach to be declared clothing-optional
• Naturists bare complaints during demonstration at Wasaga Beach
For questions or to get involved, contact Wasagabares.
|
|
Florida free beach leaders forge unity across state
|
Shirley Mason, B.E.A.C.H.E.S.
Executive Director
|
"Well-managed, designated clothing-optional beaches, mentored by naturists, are the future of nude recreation's survival and growth in North America," states Shirley Mason, founder and "Mother" of Haulover Beach and Executive Director of B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute.
Florida free beach activists are finally seeing several green shoots of progress sprouting after more than two decades of their movement's public relations efforts and increasing public acceptance. B.E.A.C.H.E.S. sees this as the ideal time to lead the coordination of unification of existing clothing-optional ("free") beaches and start-up efforts.
Through unified effort, naturists can leverage their power by identifying the countless people who practice skinny-dipping and women who sunbathe top-free in Florida and harnessing their economic influence.
Inspired by the success of Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, FL over the past nearly two years, new free beach activists are stepping up to try to duplicate it in other parts of Florida. B.E.A.C.H.E.S., working with leaders of other established free beaches in Florida, have been reaching out to mentor them.
"So much has been learned," says Shirley. "Haulover was not a freak of nature because we learned from the more than 25-year history prior to Haulover of successes and failures of the free beach movement in North America and Europe, nude recreation businesses, and even governments. Haulover's successful strategy paved the way for the accelerated acceptance of Blind Creek Beach," Shirley adds. "It's a process that we must learn from, adapt, build on, pass on, grow and progress. It's long past time that we expand what has been proven to be a successful strategy and unite our efforts."
In parallel, there is a growing realization in the nudist resort industry that clothing-optional beaches are not the competition that some may have considered them to be. On the contrary, the industry is coming to recognize that clothing-optional beaches may be an entrée and conduit for new naturists eventually to find their way to nude resorts.
AANR Florida, the Florida region of the American Association for Nude Recreation, has acknowledged this connection explicitly by recruiting key individuals from three free beach projects, Blind Creek, Caspersen (in Venice; see related article, above), and Playalinda (Canaveral National Seashore, near Titusville), to its Board of Directors. This ensures vital representation and communication between nude beach interests and owners and members of nudist resorts.
|
|
The search for suitable, clothing-optional beaches includes possible lakefront locations in Central Florida.
|
Furthermore, AANR Florida reserved a significant portion of its Mid-Winter Board Meeting on January 30 to discuss direction and strategy to expand nude recreation on select beaches and other public lands in Florida. Representatives of SFFB and B.E.A.C.H.E.S. were among the participants in the discussion.
Before their meeting with AANR Florida, free beach leaders were already planning to extend the discussion a couple of weeks later at the Mid-Winter Naturist Festival (see related article, above), where they will attend an open workshop with leaders of other naturist groups on Saturday, February 13, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m., probably on the Clubhouse Lawn. (Check the schedule at the Festival to confirm time and location.) Any Festival attendee is welcome to sit in and participate.
At the workshop (and again at the subsequent retreat mentioned below), B.E.A.C.H.E.S. will present its "Turnkey Free Beaches" white paper as well as its on-site and online communications to reach this market, potential funding sources, and ideas to set and achieve united goals.
At B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' initiative, an invited group of seasoned free beach leaders and activists, along with angel funders, are making plans to huddle to develop a coordinated, statewide strategy during an intensive, weekend retreat near Blind Creek Beach in early April.
|
|
Naturist Education Fndtn. offers scholarships
The Naturist Education Foundation (NEF) initiates and participates in projects designed to further the understanding and acceptance of naturism in North America. NEF also awards grants to those who have demonstrated financial need and an ability to benefit the causes of naturism and body acceptance.
These grants include scholarships for naturist college and high school students, awarded on a competitive basis. Submissions that don't win are carried forward automatically to one additional cycle. Click on links below for complete details and requirements, and inform your children who are students of this financial aid opportunity!
• Naturist Education Foundation Scholastic Award - An award of $1,000 offered as often as twice each year to the author of the best original essay on the topic of naturism. Eligibility: members of The Naturist Society who are currently enrolled in an accredited college. Submission deadline for remaining cycle in 2016: July 1
• Naturist Education Foundation Junior Scholastic Award - An award of $250 offered up to four times each year to the author of the best original essay on the topic of naturism. Eligibility: high school students whose families are members of The Naturist Society. Parental permission required. Submission deadlines for cycles in 2016: March 1; June 1; September 1; December 1.
|
New poll proves increased acceptance of nudity
Every five years or so, the Naturist Education Foundation (NEF) undertakes a new round of scientifically conducted and statistically valid public opinion surveys on American attitudes toward skinny-dipping and other recreational nudity. Previous NEF surveys were conducted by Cornell University's Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. In mid-2015, NEF published results of the latest surveys, conducted by Zogby Analytics. Not surprisingly, they reflect a steady, upward trend of public acceptance of nudity.
|
This is in celebration of working independently from home. "Naked" could be metaphorical, as in, stripped of the support one would find in a regular workplace, or it could be literal. Read about an entire office that actually worked naked for a month!
|
|
|
CORRECTIONS
In the left-hand column of last month's issue, a display ad for Nude Beach News.TV was linked to an obsolete website. At the time that section was composed, the link was valid, but the domain registration expired on December 30 and was not renewed.
Nude Beach News.TV was the platform for a web-based program featuring video interviews, most of them conducted au naturel, by the previous editor of this newsletter
with key personalities in the naturist scene from around the United States. With his private business picking up, he decided not only to hand off the duties of editing the SFFB newsletter, but also to end production of the series and take down its branded website. The videos are still available for viewing, however, at vimeo.com/nudebeachnews.
Interview subjects include Angela Anderson, Ton Dou (Tony Douglas), Isy & Matt of Florida Young Naturists (FYN), Carmen Hamm, Chris Hernandez (Haulover Park manager), Nicky Hoffman, Claudia Kellersch, Richard Mason, Shirley Mason, Norma Mitchell, Donna Newman, Jesus Rojas, John Schlinz, Morley Schloss and Anne Fischer, Suzanne Palsulich Schell, Bill Schroer, Jenny Scordamaglia, Nancy Tiemann, and Raquel Vergara.
There are also interviews with several Haulover Beach visitors from other countries and passengers on Bare Necessities' The Big Nude Boat Caribbean cruise, promotional spots for naturist events, and a guided tour of Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort. (See related article, above.) Watch and enjoy!
|
|
Pam Oakes
|
In the December 2015 issue, Pam Oakes was misidentified in a photo caption as former Mayor of Pasco County, FL. It should have read, former Central Pasco County Chamber of Commerce Honorary Mayor of Land O' Lakes, FL, a civic distinction she achieved as the top fund-raiser of the Chamber's 2013 funding drive. Pam is known in the business community as a charismatic and enthusiastic promoter of Pasco County's naturist tourism sector, which comprises many clothing-optional resorts and other businesses. Pasco County is located a short distance north of Tampa. |
|
"Human beings to me are as much a part of nature as trees or birds, and the unclothed body expresses this belongingness directly and powerfully." - Wynn Bullock, American master photographer
|
|
|
