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March 2016 President's Message
by Richard Mason
Florida political action committees receive tidal wave of fat checks; small players find it tough to be heard
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Below is an excerpt from a recent daily Tallahassee Report from the lobbyist for South Florida Free Beaches / Florida Naturist Association (SFFB/FNA):
REPUBLICAN COMMITTEES POST 6-FIGURE HAULS IN FIRST DAYS OF 2016, via Florida Politics. Sen. Bill Galvano's political committee, Innovate Florida, leads early filers after posting $216,000 raised in January. That haul came across in just 31 contributions, including three checks for $25,000 from the Florida Medical Association PAC, optometry group OD-EYEPAC, and Costa Farms. After $19,000 in January expenditures, [Galvano] was left with about $1.23 million in the bank.
Tom Lee came in just behind Galvano with $212,700 in January contributions to his committee, The Conservative. His total included five $25,000 checks, with MCNA Health Care and multibillionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones each contributing at that level alongside FMA. Costa Farms also made the list with a $10,000 check.
Steve Crisafulli leads in the other chamber, with $136,000 in committee money last month. His PAC, Growing Florida's Future, got $25,000 checks from an Associated Industries of Florida committee and from the FMA to bring its total to more than $600,000 on hand. Not far behind Crisafulli is the presumptive 2018-20 House Speaker, Rep. Jose Oliva, who raised $135,500 for his Conservative Principles for Florida PAC.
As you can see, large amounts of cash flow through political committees. The size of these donations gives them a loud shout and access to legislators. Our lobbyist has to compete with these donations, and SFFB/FNA's small donations of $500 each, when strategically made, give us only a whisper. Combined with SFFB members' grassroots help on officials' (re)election campaigns, however, and the cumulative effect of years of quiet educational efforts at the state level, we've been successful since the 1994 state legislative session.
So, we are there and do what we can to benefit nude recreation. That is what South Florida Free Beaches does. When asked, you can state that we keep Haulover Beach open to nude use through political action in Tallahassee, Florida's capital. This is why membership is important and donations to our Legal Defense & Political Action Fund help SFFB/FNA remain a player in Tallahassee.
Currently, we are assisting a person in St. Petersburg (Pinellas County) who has been charged with a violation of Florida Statute 800.03, the state's indecent exposure law, for sunbathing while merely nude under a bridge, alone. The case goes to trial on March 15. The accused must be found not guilty, or we will have a court decision that can be used against nude sunbathers elsewhere in Florida. For those that are new to nude recreation in Florida, preventing this is what SFFB/FNA has been doing for 35 years.
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.
Even if you're not ready to join just yet, please consider donating to SFFB/FNA's Legal Defense & Political Action Fund (not tax-deductible) to help with current challenges. Thanks!
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Beach Ambassador training
The next Beach Ambassador (BA) training is scheduled for Haulover Beach in Miami on Saturday, May 14. The tentative dates of subsequent training sessions in 2016 are 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.
The formal training that was scheduled for February 28 was cancelled while BA management was gathering feedback from the BA team to retool the training program. BA Captain Ken was to be on Haulover Beach that afternoon, however, to consult informally with BAs and others interested in the program.
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Women in Naturism (WIN) Weekend set for June 4-5, 2016
The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), British Naturism (BN), The Naturist Society, and Women in Nude Recreation (WINR) are partnering with naturist resorts and groups around the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for the Women in Naturism Weekend (WINW), June 4-5, 2016.
WINW is an international open house by women for women with the purpose of introducing women to the naturist way of life and providing naturist women an opportunity to network. At press time, specific locations and events were not yet available, but we're giving an early heads-up for women to save the dates.
British Naturism is publishing a four-page spread on WINW in the spring 2016 issue of its (for BN members only). AANR is collecting "Tell Your Story" written submissions from women on their experience of naturism for inclusion in its campaign to promote WINW. Guidelines with suggestions for WINW events are being drafted for publication. We hope to provide links to more information in future issues.
Is the behavioral and medical science community just now discovering what we as naturists have known all along? Communing with nature as our natural selves can make just hours seem like a weekend vacation. Often that is even more true for women than it is for men. You, as a woman, have to experience it; it cannot be explained. Come share our passion.
- Bev Price, President, American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR)
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Until then, if your naturist club or resort is interested in hosting an event in observance of WIN Weekend, please contact the following with any questions: In the United States or Canada, for AANR affiliates, AANR, or for other naturist resorts or clubs, The Naturist Society; in the United Kingdom, British Naturism.
For some thoughts on women in naturism, please read the following articles:
• Nude recreation from a woman's perspective
• Women and nudism
• Naturist women talk about how they discovered naturism
• Naturism: It's not just for men - a message to women
• Why aren't there more women in nudism / naturism today?
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Registration open for GNI men's nude Gathering
Gay Naturists International (GNI) has opened registration for its 31st Annual International Gathering of Male Naturists. The Gathering will take place August 19-28, 2016 in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Shorter attendance options are available. The location is about an hour-and-a-half's drive west of New York City, and GNI provides optional bus transportation from Newark International Airport (EWR) and Midtown Manhattan.
Hundreds of men come together at The Gathering for up to ten days of naked fun, camaraderie, education, and relaxation in a beautiful, rustic but comfortable setting with a lake; two heated pools; gym and courts for tennis, volleyball, and other sports; wooded trails; and rolling, manicured grounds. For an idea of what it's like, watch a few video clips and peruse the program from last year's Gathering.
The registration fee covers housing in dormitory-style cabins (camping optional; RVs welcome, but utility hookups are not available), all meals and beverages, and events, activities, and entertainment (except the optional Body Electric massage weekend workshop, which requires an additional fee). Regular programming includes seminars and workshops, sports instruction and tournaments, massage and yoga, contests, shows, parties, bonfires, a nightly, naked Dance Club with live DJs and fantastic sound and lights, and much more! The Gathering is open to men aged 21 or over, regardless of orientation. Get info and register.
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SFFB Board meeting
The Board of Directors of South Florida Free Beaches meets on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in the training / meeting room of Ocean Rescue (lifeguard) headquarters on Haulover Beach. Enter via the garage on the north side of the building. The meeting is open to SFFB sponsor / members, supporters, and invited guests.
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"Man's naked form... belongs to no particular moment in history; it is eternal, and can be looked upon with joy by the people of all ages." - Auguste Rodin, French sculptor
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New nude social group forms in Pasco County, FL
Nude Sea & Sun Seekers formed on December 15, 2015. By mid-February, the club already had 20 members, mainly from Pasco County, just north of Tampa.
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| Tubing on the Rainbow River in Dunnellon, FL |
They gather from 7 to 8 p.m. every first Wednesday of the month in the meeting room of Neighborhood Associations of Paradise Lakes in Lutz, FL, when membership and grounds fees for the resort are waived for couples and women.
The club also organizes mostly nude outings, including boating and beach visits. Currently under consideration are a bus trip to Blind Creek Beach toward the end of March, tubing (not nude) on the Rainbow River in Dunnellon sometime in March, a boat trip to Anclote Key in the Gulf of Mexico opposite Tarpon Springs possibly in April, and a trip to Playalinda Beach (Canaveral National Seashore) in May. For questions or to join, contact Claudia.
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Get naked in Daytona Beach at Solar Plunge
Crossed Oaks Haven Travel Club is organizing Solar Plunge (summer version of "polar plunge") weekend for August 13-14, 2016 at Ocean Shore Resort in Daytona Beach. The event room rate for Saturday night is $55 if reserved under Solar Plunge. Live music and festivities are planned during the weekend, with the plunge taking place in the pool on Sunday, August 14 at noon. The hotel requires a minimum of 100 rooms to be booked by July 12 to make it nude. Reserve ASAP (daytime is best) at (800) 545-9795 or (386) 239-9795 and then let the club know you're coming.
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| Roofs of Haulover Beach chickees receive new thatch. |
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CORRECTION
In the previous issue, the location of the B.E.A.C.H.E.S. / SFFB / Naturist Society hospitality table on last month's Bare Necessities nude Caribbean cruise aboard the Celebrity Constellation was misstated as Rainbow Lounge. It should have read, Rendezvous Lounge.
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February was Black History Month - African-Americans in naturism
In observance of Black History Month, Clothesfreelife.com ran a series of articles last month pertaining to African-Americans in naturism. Below are links to those articles. We hope you enjoy them and find them illuminating.
Introducing the series, Clothesfreelife.com stated, "For Black History Month, we will be publishing a four-part series, Naturism, Nudism, and Clothes-Free Living - African-Americans and the Clothes-Free Community. Each week in February, we will explore a different aspect of naturism, nudity and clothes-free life in the African-American context.
"We will start on the African continent and move to the intersection of native Africans with Europeans and Americans of European descent. Then[, we will] explore the place of African-Americans in the height of the naturist / nudist [movement] and finish with a look at [the] present day."
• The African Continent
• From Sacred to Profane - The Hottentot Venus Effect
• "There are Negroes Among Us"
• Black to the Future
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The business of Florida nude (free) beaches
by Shirley Mason, Executive Director, B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute
On Saturday afternoon, February 13 at the Mid-Winter Naturist Festival at Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort near West Palm Beach, several representatives from Florida organizations and groups met to share updates on the things happening in their respective areas. It was apparent from the early reports that there's been a serious move to locate and establish more clothing-optional (a/k/a "free") beaches around Florida.
For the first time since the establishment of safe, nude use at Haulover Beach in 1991, Florida naturists have actually made significant progress and developed real beach activists, some of whom have achieved a designated, clothing-optional beach at Blind Creek Beach in St. Lucie County, as well as getting the tourism and hospitality industry and the state government to begin to recognize the value of clothing-optional beaches and nude recreation and to promote them.
This is due to a convergence of several deliberate actions by naturist leaders, combined with the economic impact (1.4 billion dollars annually) of tourists who visit Haulover Beach, articles in prestigious national and international publications, and other media coverage, awakening the tourism industry's interest, particularly during downturns in the economy.
Seasoned Florida free beach activists and leaders from old, new, and prospective clothing-optional beaches feel it is time to discuss some key issues and rare opportunities that are presenting themselves and seize upon the unparalleled growth of clothing-optional beaches in Florida. As mentioned in the previous issue, they will gather for an intensive, weekend retreat in early April for that purpose.
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SFFB, B.E.A.C.H.E.S., and The Naturist Society well represented at major nudist events
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Gary co-staffs B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' hospitality table
on the 2016 Bare
Necessities nude Caribbean cruise aboard the Celebrity Constellation.
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South Florida Free Beaches and B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute took their message on tour last month at a couple of major nudist events. Seth Paronick and Gary Mussell, both from B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' Board of Governors, staffed a hospitality table on the Bare Necessities nude Caribbean cruise and SFFB Vice President Paul Friderich, Jr. did the same with SFFB's Membership Director at the Mid-Winter Naturist Festival.
Bare Necessities cruise
Seth and Gary greeted and chatted with passengers during exhibitor hours in the Rendezvous Lounge over 4½ days at sea. Stocked with copies of the Guidebook to the Naturist Beach (SFFB's Haulover Beach guide), The Naturist Society's N (Nude & Natural) Magazine and brochure, the most recent fund-raising raffle flyer (containing details about B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' history, mission, and programs), and brochures for several nude beaches and allied resorts around the country, they distributed pounds of literature, answered many questions, and signed up nearly 100 new subscribers to this newsletter.
Mid-Winter Naturist Festival
Paul and the SFFB Membership Director maintained a booth in the vendor area. SFFB and B.E.A.C.H.E.S. leaders also took part in several beach-related workshops and a news exchange and strategy session with their colleagues from other naturist organizations around Florida. (See related article, above.) There was a good turnout for the presentations on Blind Creek and Caspersen Beaches.
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In memoriam
by Richard Mason
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Richard Rosichan, 1941 - 2016
A friend of Haulover Beach and SFFB, Richard Rosichan, passed away on February 17.
I first met Richard back in the early 1990s in the opening years of the Miami Book Fair. South Florida Free Beaches had a booth at the Fair and we were selling naturist books and magazines. Richard stopped by and was surprised to find us there, but thought it was important that our First Amendment rights were being honored and we were taking advantage of those rights.
Richard shared his phone number with me and stated that if he could be of help in our cause, to call him.
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| Richard Rosichan |
Richard specialized in "opposition research" for political candidates at that time.
A year or two later, I called Richard to see if he would be interested in speaking to a new, state-wide "Free Beach" group we were forming, the Naturist Family Association of Florida, composed of non-landed naturist groups. Richard accepted the invitation and he drove with me to Central Florida, where the meeting was held. He spoke to the group on the importance of "opposition research," a know-your-enemy presentation.
About that time, national and Florida-based groups promoting anti-nudist legislation were active in Tallahassee, seeking sponsors for anti-nudity legislation. I contacted Richard and he volunteered to drive to Tallahassee and comb through public records and old newspaper articles, which at the time were on microfilm. He submitted his research and we learned that the opposition to nude recreation had some negative information on file that countered their pious presentation of themselves. This information was very helpful for us.
Richard became a regular at Haulover and made many friends at the beach, who will miss him. As President of SFFB and on behalf of the members and those who knew Richard, I wish to express our condolences to his family.
[Editor's note: An additional tribute and obituary and guest book are available, courtesy of The Miami Herald.]
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Fred Suárez
I was out of town when I heard of Fred's January 29 passing. I had e-mailed him a few days before about visiting him in the hospital. He had stated that he was being discharged the next day.
We all have relatives and friends that we associate and grew up with and just accept them as part of our life. When we meet new people, we, by our inbred tribal instincts, especially here in Miami, reserve our acceptance of a person and do not accept them as a friend until they prove themselves over time.
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He wore many hats, depending on which one was needed at the moment, but, more than anything, we'll miss his presence, his friendship, and his love.
- Norma Mitchell, former SFFB Vice President
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With Fred, you accepted him immediately and he would accept you also. You quickly learned that Fred had a big heart and trusted and accepted people immediately for their good. You also learned that Fred was influenced by his faith and was always giving credit to his wife for his happiness. He loved his son, Kevin. A family man was he.
Fred was very much a responsible person and bragged about his good fortune in working for the people that employed him. He was serious about his job and you felt the pressure he imposed upon himself with his loyalty to the family he worked for. When he visited the beach, he did so to relax and decompress. He understood the benefits of the naturist beach and that it was about the freedom promised and the healthy relationship with nature.
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| Fred Suárez |
Fred became a Beach Ambassador for the naturist beach and was outspoken about its benefits. He was never ashamed of the fact that he visited Haulover's naturist beach and would proactively speak out to relatives, friends, and strangers about the joy of the experience. This is, of course, risky in a society that has a problem sorting out the mere innocent nudity of a naturist beach from inappropriate behavior, while nude or clothed, appealing to a prurient interest.
Fred had a lot of friends at the beach and was loved and respected by all who knew him. Fred always volunteered to stay overnight on Haulover Beach as security to protect the assets of the two naturist beach associations that held events there. Fred always brought the coffee and doughnuts, enough for 20 people, and sometimes would just disappear into the crowd to take a nap. Sometimes, he was a big kid and most times, a big friend. His time on Earth was
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Fred loved getting a chance to spend the night on the beach. We all slept better, knowing he was watching over us.
- Albert Pantaleón, former SFFB Board Member
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not wasted. What I learned from Fred was that it was best to be honest with yourself, to employ your faith in your everyday happenings, to respect the natural surrounding and to be proactive in protecting the environment you're in. I have known many people, having lived in Miami since 1959. I have forgotten most of them. I will never forget Fred. We are all glad we knew him. He will be missed by all his friends on the beach, including Shirley and me.
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