May 2017 President's Message by Richard Mason Florida government affairs report — Tallahassee and statewide

As a sponsor / member or supporter of South Florida Free Beaches / Florida Naturist Association, Inc. (SFFB/FNA), have you ever asked yourself, "Do I get any true, tangible benefit from sponsorship / membership?" Please read this column. It is for your benefit, if you also enjoy Haulover's naturist beach and want to see it continue into the future as a beach where you can be nude.

Having traveled to Tallahassee, Florida's capital, several times during the past 25 years, as well to several counties in Florida on behalf of SFFB and all naturists in our state, I can attest that your membership is invaluable to the organization, and its resources are being used to their fullest extent for your benefit. This is possible because we are managed by volunteers and our political outreach is executed by a government affairs professional, Ramon Maury, principal of Maury Management Group, Inc.

We are proud of our successes and even small victories. The new, steadfast commitment from SFFB's Board of Directors to deliver results for sponsors / members is proving effective. We continue to work diligently with Miami-Dade County District 4 Commissioner Sally Heyman, her professional staff, the Mayor's Office, Parks Department, Ocean Rescue, and Commission and Parks and Cultural Affairs Committee Chairman Senator Javier Souto to maintain and augment the current police presence at the Beach.

The second endeavor we have undertaken is to help Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) find ways to overcome an existing Florida Division of Recreation and Parks administrative rule against nudity in parks that it manages in order to set aside a portion of Honeymoon Island State Park, located just west of Dunedin, FL, for clothing-optional use.

This task is a most challenging one, as the Florida Division of Recreation and Parks has never granted such a set-aside. According to the rule mentioned above, in "every area of a park including bathing areas, no individual shall expose the human, male or female genitals, pubic area, the entire buttocks or female breasts below the top of the nipple, with less than a fully opaque covering." This draconian language is from the early '70s and was meant to control unwanted nudity and sexual activity at family-oriented state parks.

What is entailed to change this rule? TAN has hired Ramon Maury, long-time naturist and advocate and the first Florida lobbyist with years-long success in leading the defeat of anti-nudity bills in the Florida Legislature. These successes have enabled private and public nude recreation venues such as Haulover's designated clothing-optional beach in Miami-Dade County to remain open, and paved the way for Florida's newest one at Blind Creek Beach on Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce. Ramon also successfully got state law amended to grant the option for the state, a county, or a municipality to "set aside an area for the purpose of nude recreation." For such use in a Florida state park, however, this administrative rule must be amended.

For starters, we are advising TAN on how to implement a pilot program so that they have ample time to prove themselves via the models provided by the SFFB business plan, "Creating and Managing a Clothing-Optional Beach" (by Shirley & Richard Mason) and the private-public partnership of B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute's Turnkey Free Beaches Initiative (by Shirley Mason), based on more than 25 years of first-hand experience gained at Haulover and, now, Blind Creek Beach. For an overview of the concepts, see this naturist beach presentation (PDF, 5 mb).

Although Haulover Beach is several hours' drive from Honeymoon Island State Park, this project will be a catalyst throughout the state when implemented. TAN will need support from city officials in Dunedin, Pinellas County's state legislators and its sheriff, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, etc. You are the most important component of this endeavor by supporting the effort at these various levels. Please see a related article (below) for the latest developments and how you can help right now.

Backed by the support of SFFB sponsors / members, the Board's actions have produced the following achievements:

• Lobbied the Florida Legislature to defeat:

○ legislation increasing penalty for second nude offense to a third-degree felony
○ legislation criminalizing mere nudity
○ legislation criminalizing clothing-optional destination resorts (landed clubs) for selling alcohol with nudity and children on premises

• Coalition-building: Formed alliances with several Florida groups such as ABATE of Florida and Surfrider Foundation ("protecting and preserving our ocean, beaches & waves")

• Support legislation allowing coastal municipalities with populations under 100,000 to create a pilot program to regulate or ban disposable plastic bags, which destroy our beaches and ecosystem

• Support the Florida Department of Health's Florida Healthy Beaches Vital Water Quality Program, detecting dangerous levels of bacteria, water pollution, and respiratory ailments

• Support beach renourishment funding. As a result of Hurricane Hermine, a significant portion of the beaches on Florida's east coast were washed away. Communities north of West Palm Beach to Jacksonville need funding to restore their coastal areas. If you live in those areas, talk to your state legislators and ask them for funding support in future legislative sessions.

• Florida Tourism Day, March 14, 2017. The tourism industry in Florida is the number one job creator. For every dollar spent in tourism promotion, $3.20 are generated toward our $120-billion economy.

○ SFFB went to Tallahassee for this event, represented by Ramon Maury. SFFB successfully stood in for all naturists in Florida. Ramon was accompanied by seven delegates from the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) and TAN. They met with VISITFLORIDA_® President and CEO Ken Lawson (see related panel, above right), Florida State Senators Jack Latvala (Pinellas), Wilton Simpson (Pasco), and Denise Grimsley (Polk), and Florida House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues (Lee) during the morning session and presentations.

○ During the afternoon, they were privileged to meet with House Tourism Committee Chairman Mike LaRosa (Kissimmee) and Vice Chairman Mike Miller (Orange County), Senators Keith Perry (Alachua, Putnam, and Marion), Victor Torres (Osceola and Orange), Gary Farmer (Broward), and Daphne Campbell (Miami-Dade), to name a few. All of these legislators are key to our advocacy. The day was more successful than anticipated, but it is only the beginning. The tough work lies ahead and your participation and support are most needed.

The breadth of issues brought forth to the Florida Legislature for action touches every aspect of my and your life as Floridians. If there are issues of interest to you, please let me know, as SFFB's Government Affairs Director, of your concern and suggested solution, if any.

Study: The Economic Impact of Nude Tourism & Recreation in Florida. For more than 50 years, nude tourism and recreation have been Florida's best-kept secret. Recognizing the need to quantify the positive impact to the state, the naturist industry conducted in late 2016 a statewide economic impact study, as we reported in the April 2017 issue of this newsletter. This study is, to date, the single most important document validating and quantifying the importance of nude recreation to Florida's economy. We thank Ralph Collinson, immediate Past President of AANR-Florida and current AANR Member Trustee for Florida, for spearheading the commissioning and funding of the study.

• Nude tourism boasts 34 resorts with a total of 5,100 rooms (accounting for 1.2 million room nights in 2016), 2.2 million annual nudist visitors, 22 million annual nudist visitor nights, $4.3 billion annually in direct expenditures by nudist visitors, and a total annual impact of $7.4 billion.

• The ⅓-mile (½ km) clothing-optional section of Haulover Beach commands $1.8 million in parking fees and, by B.E.A.C.H.E.S.' reckoning, brings more than $1.4 billion in direct expenditures to the economy of Miami-Dade County.

St. Lucie County has recognized since June 2014 that nudity in designated areas of Blind Creek Beach on Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce, FL is legal. Blind Creek Beach has great potential and will flourish with your attendance and support of its mentoring group, Treasure Coast Naturists. (See related article below.) When Honeymoon Island State Park opens its doors to naturists, the same positive economic impact will follow.

Beaches are a major driving force in nude tourism and recreation and B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute has the bible on the subject. If you or any of your friends wish to establish a clothing-optional beach in your area, please contact SFFB/FNA or B.E.A.C.H.E.S. for guidance.

How to apply study findings and SFFB's goals:

• Protect existing state laws regarding nudity
• Repeal existing rules prohibiting nude recreation
• Obtain clothing-optional areas on municipal, county, and state lands
• See more clothing-optional resorts developed throughout Florida
• Support VISITFLORIDA_® in promoting Florida nudist tourism and recreation worldwide (see related panel, above right)

On behalf of the SFFB Board of Directors, thank you for your continued financial and volunteer support of South Florida Free Beaches. More members are needed as well as more support. The challenge to designate an area within a state park for nude recreation is a dream in the making. Thank you for helping us in this endeavor and to preserve Haulover as the "Gem Nude Beach of the Americas."

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!

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, July 8, and October 14. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a training session, contact Ken.

Florida free beach updates Reminder: Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN), mentors of Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, have a couple of fun events coming up: Blind Creek Beach party & contests on Sunday afternoon, May 7 and 3rd Annual Blind Creek Beach Skinny-Dip on Sunday afternoon, July 16 in conjunction with Nude Recreation Week. TCN actively welcomes new members and donors to help care for Blind Creek Beach, including the expense of maintaining port-a-potties in the parking lot, which TCN provides (not St. Lucie County). Representatives of Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) met for dinner on April 11 with Julie Bujalski, Mayor of Dunedin, FL, where Honeymoon Island State Park is the primary location they are considering for a clothing-optional beach. Providing supporting documentation, they explained to her that clothing-optional beaches are legal, family-oriented, popular, profitable, and manageable. They also pointed out that neighboring Pasco County, with its many naturist resorts, would be a large source of visitors. Mayor Bujalski suggested a number of contacts for TAN to reach out to in local government and the business community and potential alternative locations, but she stated that she does not oppose TAN's efforts. TAN has reactivated its Change.org petition for a clothing-optional beach in the Tampa Bay Area. Signing the petition provides supporters with an opportunity to show their support and to be in the loop for occasional e-mail updates on TAN's progress. At press time, the number of signatories was approaching 1,000, a nearly threefold increase in the month since the petition was reopened. Supporters are also encouraged to "like" TAN's Facebook page at facebook.com/TampaAreaNaturists for real-time updates, event notices, and community discussion. (Make sure that notifications are turned on under the Following tab.) The Palm Beach Freedom Beach Initiative has recently formed to identify and obtain a stretch of beach for clothing-optional use in Palm Beach County, Florida. "Like" their Facebook page at facebook.com/pbcfreedombeach to be kept informed of developments. For a bit of history, read Remember Palm Beach County's nude beach?	SFFB Board meeting on Haulover Beach, May 13 The Board of Directors of South Florida Free Beaches usually 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 the second Saturday pattern is noted with an asterisk. The meetings are 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 bad weather, when the meeting may take place indoors. Don't miss an SFFB Board meeting — add the schedule to your calendar now! May 13, 2017 June 10, 2017 July 8, 2017 August 12, 2017 September 9, 2017 October 14, 2017 November 11, 2017 December 9, 2017
	Haulover Beach: volleyball and flotation devices There are two volleyball courts available on Haulover Beach. One is located directly in front of Ocean Rescue (lifeguard) headquarters, just south of lifeguard tower #12. The other is located in the clothing-optional section, just south of lifeguard tower #15. Since April 1, Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department (MDPR) security officers and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Ocean Rescue Bureau (lifeguards) have stepped up enforcement of Miami-Dade County Code, Section 26, Rule 16(b), which bans flotation devices in the water at any Miami-Dade County public beach. The only exemption from the rule is by permit for a park-supervised program or to accommodate individuals with disabilities.
God's Garden mixes home meetings with a road trip On Friday, April 9, God's Garden for Naturist Christians enjoyed a fine buffet dinner of home cooking and vegetarian options at Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves, FL and stayed to enjoy the monthly free drum circle and bonfire. [Editor's note: See below right for Sunsport Gardens drum circle details.] On the following Sunday, Tom Pine, a member of God's Garden, led a discussion, Nudism in the Bible. Tom identified over 60 verses describing nudism as part of accepted, daily biblical life. Members discussed the many reasons humans have come to the false conclusion that nudity is not an accepted state in the eyes of God. Members celebrated Easter with a sunny day, potluck meal, and pool party at a private home. The discussion on Sunday, April 30 compared Adam to Christ, with some surprising revelations. The group visits Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, FL, May 11-14, for Classic Rock Weekend, featuring a Credence Clearwater Revival tribute band. On Sunday, May 21, the group is having a movie night with popcorn and skinny-dipping. The meeting on Sunday, June 18 includes an ice cream social and religious discussions. The contacts for God's Garden are Victoria and Mike Stewart at (954) 829-9911 or GodsGardenGroup@gmail.com. Get more info and request to join at meetup.com/Gods-Garden-for-Naturist-Christians.	World Naked Gardening Day at Sunsport Gardens World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD) is celebrated on the first Saturday in May. This year's 13th annual observance is on May 6, when people are encouraged to tend their portion of the world's garden unclothed, as nature intended. WNGD was co-founded in 2005 by Jacob Gabriel, an avid horticulturist and naturist activist in Seattle, WA, and Mark Storey, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) and is consulting editor of N (Nude & Natural, The Magazine of Naturist Living), the quarterly publication of The Naturist Society. Mark continues to lead the project. You may review the background and history in the May 2016 issue of this newsletter. Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves, FL (near West Palm Beach) observes this year's WNGD with a Community Garden Collaboration and tour, hosted by several resident horticulturists. The program runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., breaks for dinner at the resort's Naturally Nude Café, and then concludes with an 8:00 p.m. showing of the 2009 documentary, Introduction to Permaculture Design. (View trailer.) Participants may skinny-dip in the pool between workshops and enjoy all the amenities of the resort until 2 a.m., when they must depart unless they have registered to stay overnight. Get details and RSVP on the Facebook page for this event. Nude drum circle on Friday, May 5: Also, as usual, there is free admission to Sunsport Gardens on the first Friday of every month from 5 p.m.* Just show up and present your government-issued photo ID at the office. The nude drum circle takes place around the bonfire from 9 p.m. to midnight. (* Friday evening visitors must depart the property by 2 a.m.)