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December 2016 President's Message
by Richard Mason
Haulover Beach Report
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Haulover Beach has had many attacks on it from the Florida Legislature over the years, with anti-nudity bills and other clothing modification amendments being introduced in efforts to make mere nudity a serious crime. South Florida Free Beaches / Florida Naturist Association, Inc. (SFFB/FNA), its lobbyist, its allies in and
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2016 "Keep Our Beaches Bare" fundraising raffle concludes
The drawing for the 2016 "Keep Our Beaches Bare" fundraising raffle took place on Haulover Beach on Sunday, November 27. All prizes were awarded, and winners were informed and listed at beachesfoundation.org/fundraiser. Watch a short (1½-minute) video clip from the ceremony.
Donations will be used for naturist education, free beach advocacy, capital improvements to Haulover Beach or other clothing-optional beach sites, disability beach access program, and other purposes as listed in the scope of B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' mission and SFFB's mandate.
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out of the legislature, and our grassroots efforts have been successful in defeating all legislative efforts, and the right to be nude in our designated, ⅓-mile (536 meters) beach area continues. First serious concern: We are now faced with a new threat to our naturist beach. The percentage of visiting and regular beachgoers who wear clothing appears to increase each month. Haulover's naturist beach is a public beach and therefore requires the label of a clothing-optional beach. But "clothing-optional" are the code words for a nude beach.
New visitors who want to try the nude beach experience as well as old-time naturists feel uncomfortable when they find themselves surrounded by clothed beach visitors. Most are minding their own business, but there are always a few that ruin a naturist's beach experience by their rude behavior.
Secondary issue: These clothed visitors take up the limited parking spaces in the North Parking Lot as well as at the north end of Parking Lot No. 1. (That is the lot with several "Lake Haulovers" in the middle of it.) We have received phone calls from visitors complaining about the issue. One new visiting couple stated they would not be returning because they did not want to be "eye candy" for gawkers.
SFFB/FNA's position: Haulover Beach's designated naturist beach was established by naturists for naturist recreation. That means Haulover's naturist beach is a nude beach. There are exceptions for couples of whom only one person wants to be nude and for visitors with a medical condition or a physical handicap.
• Florida has over 866 miles of sandy beaches for beach visitors who prefer to wear clothing while at a beach.
• Florida has only one-third of a mile of an officially designated naturist beach where patrons can be nude.
• Haulover Park's coastline has 1.7 miles (2.7 km) of sandy beach. Of that, 1.4 miles are reserved for people who want to wear clothing on the beach.
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We want your feedback.
SFFB is interested in your comments and recommendations. Send us an e-mail or write to us at the address at the bottom of the left-hand column. |
• All the amenities on this beach were obtained through efforts of SFFB/FNA and B.E.A.C.H.E.S Foundation Institute.
• The shower on the beach near Lifeguard Tower 15 was designed and built by B.E.A.C.H.E.S with its funds and funds donated by SFFB/FNA plus a small grant from the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department.
This subject will be discussed at the January 2017 meeting of SFFB's Board of Directors as we seek solutions to the issue. See below for the dates, times, and location of Board meetings in 2017. In the meantime, if you want to discuss the issue with a clothed beach visitor, be very careful in the words and tone you use and be attuned to their sensitivities.
The Florida Legislature
The elections are over and the new members of the Florida Legislature are meeting before next year's legislative session to establish committees, vote on leadership, and set priorities for 2017. Our Tallahassee-based lobbyist, Ramon Maury, is on the job already, introducing himself to the new members and renewing friendships with members returning from previous sessions. (See Ramon's December 2016 report below.) With 60 new members out of a total of 160 in the House of Representatives and Senate combined, this session will be eventful, and we will keep you informed through this newsletter.
If you are not a current member of South Florida Free Beaches, please consider becoming one — numbers matter. Join at sffb.com or fill out an application on printed page 7 of the Naturist Beach Guide booklet found in the news dispenser boxes on Haulover Beach.
Even if you're not ready to (re)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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Haulover Beach governmental affairs update
by Ramon Maury, President, Maury Management Group, Inc.
I first wish to extend a belated "Congratulations" to Richard and Shirley Mason for the lovely and most thoughtful recognition bestowed by the "Friends of Haulover" for their tireless work to establish a portion of Haulover Beach as a clothing-optional, family-friendly, first-of-its-kind-in-Florida, naturist beach, on July 14, 1991. (See related article below.)
It is hard to believe more than 25 years have passed since our initial efforts seeking such a designation. Many hurdles, press conferences, and legislative battles were fought to secure and retain the designation. I would be remiss if I did not recognize our most ardent political supporter, then-County Commissioner Senator Gwen Margolis. Without her blessing and support, Haulover's clothing-optional beach would not exist today. She endured much political pressure and criticism but remained committed to helping us achieve the vision Shirley and Richard shared, and for that I am eternally grateful.
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Ramon Maury
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Since those days, much has happened in Miami-Dade County and at Haulover Park. B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation and South Florida Free Beaches, realizing deficiencies at the park and potential for improvement, devoted the next two decades to protect and improve every service provided at the park for the enjoyment of all. As a result, we now have a world-renowned clothing-optional beach, rich in amenities for the comfort of all. However, having a clothing-optional beach in a highly populated and diverse community is not without challenges and issues.
Lack of police presence at the park on a regular basis has opened the door to lewd and lascivious acts, exhibitionism, and sex in bathrooms and dunes. As a result, South Florida Free Beaches began an all-out effort this past July to educate and seek the support of Sally Heyman, County Commissioner for District 4, for full-time law enforcement presence at Haulover.
We enlisted the support of Senator Gwen Margolis and Representative Joe Geller in a letter-writing campaign to the County Mayor, Commissioner Heyman, Parks Director, and Budget Office 45 days prior to the 2016-2017 budget hearings. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, Commissioner Heyman refused to lend us a hand during the budget hearing process and threatened to refute any public testimony brought before the Commission, technically killing our initial efforts.
As a result, discussions ensued with Senator Javier Souto, Chairman of the County Commission's Cultural Affairs & Recreation Committee. Commissioner Souto, familiar with these issues from having had the same problem at Tropical Park, was sympathetic and very helpful during the initial meeting, promising to help us find a solution to our problems by working to set up a discussion with the Assistant County Mayor, the Director of the Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, Commissioner Heyman, and a representative from the Miami-Dade County Police Department. Catching wind of this move by Commissioner Souto, Commissioner Heyman intervened by summoning Lt. Buchanan and Captain Andrade and requested copies of all police and incident reports at Haulover with the purpose of showing "lack of need." Commissioner Heyman also instructed Lt. Buchanan to assign, on a random basis, a few plainclothes officers during the hours before and after lifeguards and park personnel are on duty.
Commissioner Souto, true to his word, attempted to set time aside for our meeting but, as luck would have it, on October 7, Hurricane Matthew threatened Florida, causing all meetings to be postponed until further notice. Per the "Sunshine Law," 60 days must be set aside for formal public notice to advertise the meeting if more than one elected official is to be present. Due to this time constraint and with the holidays fast approaching, Commissioner Souto's staff has struggled to secure a date for the meeting, but they remain committed to having it.
Pursuant to a phone conversation on November 20 with Commissioner Souto and his staff, dates are being contemplated for late January or February 2017. In the meantime, Commissioner Souto suggested we find ways to gather photos or evidence, if at all possible, whenever such acts occur at the park. Keep track, if possible, of times and dates Miami-Dade Police are at the park and any incidents are seen or reported. Come up with logical, sound solutions or ideas to present at the meeting.
During our discussions with staff, it was unclear where the $1.00 parking surcharge has truly gone. According to Commissioner Heyman's staff, it is being invested in salaries for lifeguards at the park, a notion with which Richard disagrees. Commissioner Souto floated the idea of an additional $1.00 surcharge dedicated solely for law enforcement at the park for a set period until the issue is eradicated, as he did at Tropical Park.
Please note that we are seeking a permanent police presence at Haulover but will take and vet all logical ideas as we seek a solution. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Without each of you and your involvement, we would not have come this far.
Wishing you, your families and loved ones a safe and happy holiday season.
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Beach Ambassador training
Do you spend a lot of time on Miami's nude beach? If so, you have a chance to give back by volunteering as a Beach Ambassador (BA) to help maintain naturist standards on Haulover Beach and keep it safely nude for all to enjoy. Sign up for and attend a training to become part of a wonderful corps of volunteers.
BAs 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.
The next Beach Ambassador training is scheduled for Saturday, January 28, 2017 in Fort Pierce, FL (with in-service training and social time on Blind Creek Beach the next day). Led by SFFB and B.E.A.C.H.E.S., it is hosted by the Board of Directors of Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN) for current and prospective BAs from Friends of Blind Creek Beach (a subsidiary of TCN). Haulover BAs are welcome to attend. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a training session, contact Ken.
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Naturist beach founders honored with plaque
Shirley and Richard Mason, co-founders of the naturist beach in Haulover Park in Miami, were honored on November 12 at the unveiling and dedication of a permanent, bronze plaque at Haulover Beach. Recognizing their leading roles over the past quarter century in creating and maintaining the naturist beach there, it is located beside the service road, just north of the dune crossover for Lifeguard Tower 15. Watch a video of the ceremony.
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Naturist professor publishes history of the nude in art
Paul LeValley, retired Professor of Art History at Florida State University and longtime leader of the naturist club, Tallahassee Naturally, has published a signed and numbered, limited edition of a book titled, Art Follows Nature: A Worldwide History of the Nude. For more than 20 years, Dr. LeValley wrote the art history column in the naturist magazine, Naturally, and this coffee table volume realizes his ambition to collect those columns, along with additional material, into a book. With more than 700 illustrations, it is the most comprehensive scholarly work on the nude in art ever published.
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Cain Kills Abel, Bartolomeo Manfredi, circa 1600
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In a special report on his new book this month for The Naked Truth Naturists Newdsletter, published by the Christian Naturists Special Interest Group (SIG) of The Naturist Society, Dr. LeValley focuses on nudity as it has applied specifically to Christian religious art, with the one exception of ancient Egyptian religious art. For a balanced review, see the November 2016 issue of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR)'s The Bulletin or a somewhat less focused one in the Winter 2017 edition of The Naturist Society's Nude & Natural (N) Magazine. Visit Dr. LeValley's website at paullevalley.com for the table of contents, sample pages from the book, and ordering information.
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SFFB Board meeting
The Board of Directors of South Florida Free Beaches meets on the second Saturday of every month at 2:00 p.m. under the North Chickee (thatch-roofed shade structure) near Lifeguard Tower 15 on Haulover Beach unless another date and time or location is announced. See below for the long-term schedule. Any planned exception to this pattern is noted with an asterisk.
The meeting is open to SFFB sponsors / members, supporters, and invited guests. Prior to setting out, check the upper left-hand corner of SFFB's home page at sffb.com (under Today's Beach Reports) for any change in date, time, or location due to unavailability of Board members or in case of inclement weather, when the meeting may take place indoors.
Don't miss an SFFB Board meeting — add the schedule to your calendar now!
| December 10, 2016 |
January 14, 2017 |
February 11, 2017 |
| March 11, 2017 |
April 8, 2017 |
May 13, 2017 |
| June 10, 2017 |
July 8, 2017 |
August 12, 2017 |
| September 9, 2017 |
October 14, 2017 |
November 11, 2017 |
| December 9, 2017 |
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SFFB now accepts PayPal in its online store
By popular request, South Florida Free Beaches has added PayPal as an accepted payment method in its online store. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover continue to be accepted. The SFFB store is where you may join or renew your membership in SFFB and/or The Naturist Society and make a donation to SFFB's Legal Defense / Political Action Fund. B.E.A.C.H.E.S. has been accepting PayPal since December 2014.
PayPal allows the purchaser to fund the order from a PayPal balance, debit or credit card, or e-check drawn from the purchaser's bank. The funding source is transparent to the vendor, meaning that the vendor does not receive the purchaser's credit card info. Some feel more confident in paying this way for purchases over the Internet.
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New Hampshire judge upholds top-free arrests
The battle over women's top-free equality in New Hampshire continues to rage. We reported in the July 2016 issue on the arrests of three women at the end of May on Weirs Beach in Laconia, NH. They were charged with violating the municipal anti-nudity ordinance, which includes a ban on exposure of female nipples. In October, the women's attorney filed a motion to dismiss the charges on Constitutional grounds of freedom of expression and from discrimination on the basis of sex.
The motion to dismiss was heard in Laconia District Court on November 20. Judge James Carroll denied it and allowed the cases to proceed, stating that the government has an important interest in restricting the exposure of women's breasts, namely, "safeguarding the public's moral sensibilities." The women will go to trial, and each faces a $250 fine if found guilty. Their attorney has stated that, if that happens, he will appeal to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
For more details, read Judge: Topless N.H. Protesters Face Trial and Court denies motion to dismiss case against topless Free the Nipple protesters in NH.
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Six days of fun, growth, and community in the nude
29th Annual Mid-Winter Naturist Festival
Thursday - Tuesday, February 16-21, 2017
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 2017. Come for any or all of the days - it's up to you!
This nude gathering features more than 280 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.
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. Pre-registration is encouraged for planning purposes, but not required. (It makes check-in quick and easy.) Proceeds of the Festival 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.
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