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March 2017 President's Message
by Richard Mason
The future of nude beaches in Florida and the United States
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This message may be offensive to a few people who visit Haulover's naturist beach, and there may be a few others who will rationalize it away due to complacency about the future of Haulover's nude status. To those, I offer no apologies.
Rationale for this message: Many who have been involved in the struggle for a nude beach in Miami know most of its story, but many receiving this newsletter have not been involved in that and have discovered Haulover's naturist beach as it is today. I must therefore educate them to the facts of the present situation with naturist beaches and hope that, once aware of these circumstances, they will act in their own best interest to preserve the future of Haulover's naturist 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. |
Background: Haulover's naturist beach was established in 1991 by the members of South Florida Free Beaches, Inc. (SFFB). SFFB is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit association, incorporated in Florida in 1980 — now, 37 years young! That original group of naturists met in an isolated section of Virginia Key in Miami during the 1970s. Skinny-dipping there dated back back at least to World War II, when this was a training area for military pilots from the United States and many other countries.
In 1980, Miami-Dade County transferred Virginia Key to the City of Miami, which moved quickly to shut down the area to nude use. The skinny-dippers quickly organized, incorporated into SFFB, and sued the City of Miami. The court ruled against SFFB and an appellate court upheld the ruling. SFFB thus became a naturist group without a beach.
After several years of traveling hundreds of miles on weekends to other remote beaches and nudist resorts, in 1989, members of SFFB decided to get a designated naturist beach locally. In July 1991, after two years of studying U.S. and Florida constitutional law, state statute, and case law, lobbying and educating local officials, and still not being able to get Miami-Dade County to designate or sanction a beach officially; they informed the County they were going to install signs and begin using the northern end of Haulover Beach as a naturist beach. Our position was that we had a under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution a right to a facility, just like citizens with other recreational choices.
Miami-Dade County had a choice: Arrest us and face a federal court or let us use the beach and wait for the beach visitors to cross the line from civil law into the realm of criminal law through sexual behavior on the beach. SFFB established a Beach Ambassador Program (volunteer monitors) to make sure that never happened. (See related article below.)
Because it is a public beach, we had to identify the beach as "clothing-optional," but a naturist beach is code for a nude beach. While not all clothed visitors are voyeurs, there are many that are. It begs the question: Why are they here?
Consider this: Florida has a coastline of over 2,000 miles (3,219 km) of which more than 866 miles (1,394 km) are sandy beaches for people that want to wear a bathing costume. Haulover Park has just 1.7 miles (2.7 km) of sandy beach. Of that, the naturist beach is only ⅓ mile (½ km). Many beach visitors have a medical or physical reason to be clothed, or are part of a couple only one of whom is a naturist, and that is understandable. It is not unreasonable to expect other clothed visitors, however, to visit an appropriate beach where clothing is required.
Lee Baxandall, founder of The Naturist Society, informed me that, in the history of naturist beaches, many have been lost due to the number of clothed visitors that showed up and gradually took over the beach. Many naturists stopped visiting once they became such a minority that those were no longer naturist beaches. Eventually, many wearing bathing suits started complaining to authorities about the nudity or that other clothed visitors were conducting themselves sexually, and the nudity or the naturists were blamed for that.
Examples of beach losses are many, but to name just a few: all the California State Park beaches; Lighthouse Beach on Long Island, NY; John D. MacArthur Beach in North Palm Beach, FL; and Mazo Beach near Mazomanie, WI. (See related article in the April 2016 issue.) Naturist beaches, especially Haulover's, face many challenges presently and into the future. The primary mission of South Florida Free Beaches / Florida Naturist Association, Inc. is to keep Haulover's naturist beach open to nude use well into the future. A secondary mission is to help other local groups form in Florida or elsewhere in the United States or Canada and to assist them in securing a selected beach for naturist use.
If, as a Haulover Beach user, you love it as do I and the other members of South Florida Free Beaches, you need to understand the issues that go with this beach. I will continue this discussion in the next installment of this column. Meanwhile, you can best support what we do by becoming a member of SFFB/FNA, Inc. and/or a supporter of our political, legal, and government affairs efforts. We are also always seeking activists within the association as well as additional Beach Ambassadors. (See related article below.)
If you are not a current member of South Florida Free Beaches, please consider becoming one — numbers matter. At $35 per year for your household, it costs just 67¢ per week. A key benefit is the continued, clothing-optional use of Haulover Beach. How much is that worth to you? Join or renew at sffb.com.
We also have a separate Legal Defense & Political Action Fund that supports our government affairs efforts and assists individuals cited for nude sunbathing. Even if you're not ready to (re)join just yet, please consider donating to this fund (not tax-deductible) to help with current challenges. Donations by bank check should be mailed to the address below (in e-mail version of newsletter). Thanks!
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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.
Beach Ambassador training for the remainder of 2017 is scheduled for Haulover Beach in Miami on Saturday, April 8, July 8, and October 14. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a training session, contact Ken.
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Top-free equality advances in Fort Collins, CO
We reported in the November 2016 issue on a partial victory for top-free equality in Fort Collins, CO, wherein a Federal judge in Denver allowed a lawsuit challenging that city's ordinance against the public exposure of female breasts to proceed on grounds of discrimination by sex because there is no such restriction on males.
On February 22, the judge granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting the City of Fort Collins from enforcing the ordinance, pending a final trial on the plaintiffs' request for a permanent injunction. That motion is likely to be approved unless Fort Collins repeals the law first, which there is no reason to expect, given its entrenched stance on the matter.
For additional coverage, read Anti-Topless Rule Stripped, All Nipples in Fort Collins Are Free and Judge says women can go topless in Colorado town.
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Naturist Education Fndtn. scholarships revamped
The Professors & Researchers Special Interest Group (SIG) of The Naturist Society (TNS) reported in the February 2017 issue of its newsletter that The Naturist Education Foundation (NEF) has revamped its NEF Scholastic Award for 2017. In an important change, there is no longer any submission deadline. Submissions are processed and evaluated for possible award as they are received. Any naturist registered at an accredited college or university as an undergraduate or graduate student should look into this opportunity for financial aid.
NEF Board member Mark Storey wrote, "To attract more submissions, and to justify giving awards for a broader array of student work, NEF has increased the number of awards (from up to two per year to up to four), but lowered the award (from $1000 to $250). TNS members of accredited colleges are still encouraged to submit essays on naturism, but now one of the four NEF Scholastic [A]wards each year is open to non-TNS members.
"NEF is experimenting with ways to motivate TNS college students to do serious work on various aspects of naturism. We're hoping that this change in approach to the NEF Scholastic Award might help do that. NEF is also in the process of revamping its Junior Scholastic Award, and i[s] designing a new Youth Essay Award for use at TNS festivals and gatherings."
Paul LeValley, Chair of the SIG, also reported that AANR-Florida is bringing back a simplified version of its scholarship program, details of which are to be announced in April. We hope to report on that in the next issue of this newsletter.
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Florida free beach updates (Fort Pierce and Tampa)
Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN), mentors of Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, FL are dealing with the growing pains of an ever-more-popular beach. Their latest challenge last month was the urgent need to obtain a third port-a-potty because the existing two could no longer keep up with demand. TCN provides this amenity through private donations because St. Lucie County is not ready to budget for the beach's increased use. There was some tension as the County fielded complaints from beachgoers, but TCN had already arranged for delivery of the additional unit, demonstrating that it remains on top of the situation.
TCN continues to meet with County Commissioners and other officials on the need for signage advising visitors of the possibility of nude sunbathers ahead and of the boundaries of protected areas for beach vegetation. The group is encouraged with the progress, but this issue has not yet been resolved. TCN actively welcomes new members and donors (beach merchandise is available, such as the vintage posters below) to help care for Blind Creek Beach.
Meanwhile, Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) continues its organizing for a clothing-optional beach in the Tampa Bay Area. TAN held another informational meetup on Saturday, February 25 at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, FL, the primary location it is considering. TAN will take part
there on Saturday, March 18 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Great American Cleanup under the auspices of the park and Keep America Beautiful. TAN volunteers meet for lunch afterwards at nearby Frenchy's Outpost Bar & Grill. Get info and sign up at facebook.com/events/1654859681477390. In a major step forward, Tampa Area Naturists announced last month that it had hired Ramon Maury, of Maury Management Group, Inc. in Tallahassee, Florida's capital, as its lobbyist. TAN is now the third Florida naturist association, along with South Florida Free Beaches and AANR-Florida (Florida region of the American Association for Nude Recreation), in Ramon's portfolio. This augments his ability to facilitate the common goals and to coordinate the legal and political efforts of all three.
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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!
March 11, 2017
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April 8, 2017 |
May 13, 2017
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June 10, 2017
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July 8, 2017
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August 12, 2017
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September 9, 2017
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October 14, 2017
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November 11, 2017
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December 9, 201
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B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute Board update
Beach Education Advocates for Culture, Health, Environment & Safety (B.E.A.C.H.E.S.) Foundation Institute is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and charitable adjunct to SFFB. B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' Board of Governors held its annual meeting on Febuary 18 at the Mid-Winter Naturist Festival. Nearly the entire Board attended either in person or remotely by conference call. Among the items on the agenda was election of officers and new Governors.
Founder and Executive Director Shirley Mason remains as Secretary, while Governors-at-large Seth Paronick and David Gibbon became President and Treasurer, respectively. Outgoing President and Treasurer Mike Abramson retired from the Board but moved onto B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' Professional Advisory Council, where he will remain active in a consultative role.
Two new Governors joined the Board, Carl Flick, who is also Vice President of Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN — see related article at left), and Wendy Metts, who has been active behind the scenes in supporting certain B.E.A.C.H.E.S. operations. Read the B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Governors' bios to see the broad range of naturist and free beach knowledge and experience that they bring to the table.
B.E.A.C.H.E.S. continues in the new year to focus on its role as a resource and support to free beach advocacy groups that are gearing up to create or enhance local, clothing-optional beaches, such as TCN and Tampa Area Naturists. (See related article at left.)
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First meeting of God's Garden for Naturist Christians
In the January 2017 issue, we reported on the formation of God's Garden, a Christian naturist community in West Palm Beach, FL with the motto, "Connecting Christians through Naturism." The group has now launched, and its first meeting is in a private home on Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 2 p.m. The topic of discussion will be the origin of Christian gatherings.
God's Garden is a celebration of life with like-minded people who wish to further their understanding of the Creator. They understand that being clothes-free is not sinful, but is how people are designed by God to live. As such, the group is a welcoming alternative to established Christian denominations that do not accept the naturist way of living. Get more info and request membership at meetup.com/Gods-Garden-for-Naturist-Christians. Once approved, you may sign up for the meeting via the Meetup page.
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Open house and arts festival at Sunnier Palms
Sunnier Palms Nudist Park in Fort Pierce, FL, now celebrating its 25th year, holds its annual Open House and Artfuuul Day on Saturday, March 25, 2017 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event features art, music, dance, refreshments, and more, and closes with a complimentary, traditional tea, to which all guests are invited. Day fees are waived for friends of Blind Creek Beach, and complimentary coffee and fruit are offered to early arrivals. Call TA for more info at (561) 756-3600.
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Haulover Friday Market introduces free yoga
The office of Sally Heyman, Miami-Dade Commissioner for District 4, which includes Haulover Park, reminds the community of the new Haulover Farmers' Market every Friday, 3-8 p.m., at Bill Bird Marina. This family-friendly event features fresh, locally grown produce for purchase. On March 3 at 5:30 p.m., the first free Sunset Yoga class takes place there, led by Rikki Kamensky of Inhale Miami Wellness Center. Mats are provided or you may bring your own. For more information about the farmers' market, call Liza Hernandez at (786) 459-0787.
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Correction: Sunsport Gardens Friday night nude drumming circle
In recent issues, we have unknowingly cited outdated information on the frequency of the Friday night nude drumming circle at Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatachee Groves, FL (near West Palm Beach). Please note that it takes place only on the first Friday of each month from 9 p.m. to midnight. This month's occurs on March 3, 2017.
Free entry to the resort starts at 5 p.m.; visitors must depart by 2 a.m. Included is the 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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