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South Florida Free Beaches /Florida Naturist Association, Inc.
founders and mentors of Haulover Park's clothing-optional beach

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SunDial Online Archive
2005 - 2009: A Journal of Florida Naturism
SFFB / Haulover Beach Newsletter - July 2017
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July 2017

The President's Message
SFFB endorses candidates for
Naturist Action Committee Board

Beach Ambassador training
Florida free beach updates
God's Garden for Naturist
Christians offers weekly core
exercise classes

SFFB July Board meeting
Haulover Beach notes
Paris delays clothing-optional
zone in park to mid-2018

Ocean City, MD passes anti-
top-free ordinance

Reminder: GNI men's nude
Gathering registration is open

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UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 6-10, 2017
Crossed Oaks Haven Travel
Club camping weekend

Sunnier Palms Nudist Park
Fort Pierce, FL

July 7, 2017
Monthly Friday night
nude drum circle

Sunsport Gardens
Family Naturist Resort
Loxahatchee Groves, FL

July 7-16, 2017
23rd Annual IMEN Gathering
International Men
Enjoying Naturism
Darlington, MD

July 8, 2017
SFFB Board meeting
Haulover Beach
Miami, FL

July 9, 2017
God's Garden for Naturist
Christians Bible discussion

West Palm Beach, FL

July 11, 2017
Palm Beach Naturists
Board meeting

Panera Bread, Sunshine Square
Boynton Beach, FL

July 14-16, 2017
Christian Naturist Festival
Lake Como Family
Nudist Resort
Lutz, FL

July 15, 2017
Palm Beach Naturists
beach cleanup

Coral Cove Park
Tequesta, FL

July 16, 2017
Treasure Coast Naturists
3rd Annual Skinny-Dip

Nude Recreation Week
Blind Creek Beach
Fort Pierce, FL

July 22, 2017
God's Garden for Naturist
Christians movie matinée

West Palm Beach, FL

July 27-30, 2017
Parrothead Party Weekend
Cypress Cove Nudist Resort
Kissimmee, FL

August 4, 2017
Monthly Friday night
nude drum circle

Sunsport Gardens
Family Naturist Resort
Loxahatchee Groves, FL

August 12, 2017
Beach Ambassador training
Haulover Beach
Miami, FL

August 18-27, 2017
32nd Annual International
Gathering of Male Naturists

Gay Naturists International
Pocono Mountains, PA

August 19, 2017
Nautical Nudists Dive and Boat
Club Blind Creek Beach bus trip

Round trip from Paradise Lakes
Blind Creek Beach
Fort Pierce, FL

September 3, 2017
Crossed Oaks Haven Travel
Club nude bowling

Kissimmee, FL

September 16, 2017
Tampa Area Naturists
Beach cleanup — Inter-
national Coastal Cleanup Day

Honeymoon Island State Park
Dunedin, FL

September 16, 2017
Palm Beach Naturists
Beach cleanup — Inter-
national Coastal Cleanup Day

John D. MacArthur Beach
North Palm Beach, FL

September 22-24, 2017
Tampa Area Naturists
1st Annual TAN Tribal Council
& Beach Days at Blind Creek

Sunnier Palms Nudist Park
Fort Pierce, FL

October 14, 2017
Beach Ambassador training
Haulover Beach
Miami, FL

October 15, 2017
14th Annual Classic Car Show
Lake Como Family
Nudist Resort
Lutz, FL

Join South Florida Free Beaches


B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute

Beach Education Advocates for
Culture, Health,Environment
& Safety (B.E.A.C.H.E.S.)

501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and charitable adjunct to SFFB

Find a nude beach group to join!


Legacy Partners
(Premier)

Bare Necesities logo
Bare Necessities Tour & Travel Co.
Providing the luxury of deciding
what
not to wear


Cypress Cove logo
Cypress Cove Nudist Resort & Spa
Kissimmee, FL
just as nature intended ...


Fox Travel logo
Fox Travel – An American Express Travel Representative
Agent for Hidden Beach Resort


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Hidden Beach
Au Naturel Resort by Karisma

Kantenah, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Secluded, so you don't have to be
Represented by Fox Travel American Express

Hidden Beach aerial view


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Maury Management Group, Inc.
Healthcare and government solutions – 850-222-1568)


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The Naturist Society
Body acceptance is the idea.
Nude recreation is the way.





Beach Guide cover

Learn all about Haulover Beach! Click on above image to download this informative, 20-page booklet, pick up a free copy from a dispenser unit at Haulover Beach, or order by mail (S&H, US$5.00 in U.S. or Canada, US$10.00 elsewhere). Send request to address below (in e-mail version of newsletter).


Nudist USA
Bringing Together the Largest Nudist Community in the World
nusasun.com


GNI logo
Gay Naturists International, Inc.
Life is Great; Live it Nude! ©

Find a men's naturist club or naked yoga group to join!

Read GNI BuffBuzz, GNI's official blog, updated semi-monthly.

Register to attend GNI's annual men's nude Gathering in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, August 18-27, 2017. (Shorter options available. Late fee of up to $60 kicks in after July 15.)


Florida Naturists Index logo

Looking for naturist places in Florida?

Click on above image to search for naturist clubs, resorts, yoga classes, and other businesses statewide. See alphabetical and geographical listings and an interactive map. Also includes a list of beaches.

SFFB masthead
Richard Mason July 2017 President's Message

by Richard Mason

Questions and answers about naturist beaches 

The following are questions and answers that are usually part of the discussion of naturist beaches.

Is the growth of the free beach movement a separate part of the American experience or is it interconnected with the greater society as a whole?

The growth of the free beach movement is based on the education of the lawmakers and those civil servants who manage our laws, on the legality of nude recreation as a "protected class" of citizens under our constitutional democracy. Once that status is established, the free beach becomes part of the greater community, whether some individuals in that community like it or not.

While some will never accept the free beach as an integral part of the community's recreational options, it is up to the naturist activists who established the free beach to maintain that integration as a strategy to normalize nudity on the beach. If the naturists allow the free beach to become an abnormality, it is then exposed to being eliminated as an extraordinary mistake.

Are the people who want a naturist beach in their community naturists, nude-curious, or nude-beach consumers?

Because not all naturists are or can be naturist activists, the establishment of a free beach in any location requires an effort by those who are willing to be activists. Activists cannot do it alone, however. It requires a support group to enable its success.

After a free beach is established, it will attract the "nude-curious." The one thing nudity on a public beach does is to sort out visitors rather quickly. The nude-curious will either "get it" and join the nudity or, after the initial buzz, get bored and leave — most, never to return.

"Nude-beach consumers" are another pedigree unto themselves, mostly anti-social toward the other nude visitors, never offering a first name, avoiding eye contact, and usually not responding to a "good morninmg" greeting. My guess is they fear being recognized and hope no one ever learns that they have visited a nude beach. They offer no support, whether emotional, financial, or with their time. They are just there, enjoying the fruits of others' efforts and investment in time and money.

If a designated naturist beach is established in a community, why is that beach the responsibility of the naturist association that demanded it and not of the government agency that manages the adjacent beach where clothing is required?

The governing and/or managing agency of a public beach or park will usually distance itself from the naturist beach for several reasons. One of those is that any employee who cooperates could be accused of being one of "them" — a nudist. Naturists or nudists are probably the last class of people against whom it is still legally acceptable to discriminate or socially acceptable to make disparaging comments about, belittle their form of recreation, fire them from their job, have one parent in a divorce action use the nude recreation practices of the other to take away their children or deny visitation rights as well as ostracize them socially, etc.

The challenge for naturists or nudists is to overcome this stigmatization. Many, however, may not want to change that situation. Why? For one thing, it is a great way to learn who your true friends really are, a great "sorter-outer" of relationships. It's not quite at the level of an interracial relationship but, in both cases, you eventually find that you have established a whole new set of friends and the old set of friends are now mostly former friends. Your new set of friends, however, are a lot more fun to be around, have fewer hang-ups, and are more tolerant of differences.

On a side note, the day I wrote this article, I had just come back with Ramon Maury, the lobbyist for South Florida Free Beaches, whom we brought down from Tallahassee, Florida's capital, from a meeting with Alex Ferro, Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Miami-Dade County. We requested this meeting because the County has an Executive Mayor whose staff is presently working on the County's 2017-18 budget.

We have a continuing effort to get the budget for Haulover Park restored to provide a larger force of public safety personnel in the park to protect people, their vehicles, and the reputation of the beach. This requires us to lobby for increased funds for four public agencies. Ocean Rescue (lifeguards / beach safety) is part of the Miami-Dade Fire Department. Beach maintenance, guards, and management are the responsibility of the Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. The uniformed police are with the Miami-Dade Police Department. The parking lots are managed by the Miami Parking Authority, an agency of the City of Miami providing services under contract with Miami-Dade County.

Proper budgets will lead to proper staffing. This will result in fewer vehicles being broken into, fewer incidents of inappropriate behavior on the beach, and safer water recreation with lifeguards being in all the towers from sunup to sundown — all together, an improved, safer beach visit experience.

You can help South Florida Free Beaches' efforts, and here's how:

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!

SFFB Board endorses candidates for Naturist Action Committee (NAC) Board of Directors

What is NAC, and why should you care?

A leader on the political and legal fronts, the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) monitors legislative activities from city hall to the halls of the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament, issuing alerts and lobbying on behalf of naturist interests. When lobbying fails, NAC can be found in the courthouse, filing briefs and intervening directly on behalf of naturists and the naturist cause.

NAC logoNAC's ongoing work and vigilance, along with its sister organizations (see below left), The Naturist Society and the Naturist Education Foundation, and support from the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) and the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN), help make our continued enjoyment of the naturist lifestyle possible.

This work does not come cheaply. Sometimes grappling with several hotspots, NAC is stretched to fund it all. Please consider donating to NAC (not tax-deductible) today to help protect your right to nude recreation.

If you live in another country, your national naturist federation may do similar work. Find more information about it from the International Naturist Federation.

Elections have opened for the Board of Directors of the Naturist Action Committee (NAC). The NAC Board totals nine members, each serving a three-year term. Terms are staggered so that three seats are up for election each year. Per by-law, NAC Board members also constitute the Board of Directors of the related Naturist Education Foundation (NEF).

After careful review of the five candidates for the three seats in the 2017 election cycle, South Florida Free Beaches' Board of Directors has endorsed Doug Hickok, Richard Mason, and Bill Schroer.

Doug is a NAC Area Representative for southwestern Wisconsin.

Richard is President of South Florida Free Beaches, co-founder (with his wife, Shirley) of the clothing-optional beach in Haulover Park in Miami, FL, and recipient of the Lee Baxandall Annual Lifetime Naturist Achievement Award, named in memory of the late founder of The Naturist Society.

Bill is a former NAC Director and Treasurer, former Executive Director of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), and owner of a naturist bed-and-breakfast in south central Michigan.

All members of The Naturist Society (TNS) are eligible to vote in the NAC Board election. Ballots on blue paper were inserted in the latest issue (36.3, spring 2017) of N (Nude & Natural), The Magazine of Naturist Living, which TNS mailed in late June. TNS members may vote for up to three candidates, and completed ballots must be returned to The Naturist Society, postmarked no later than August 15, 2017.

Candidates' statements with additional information about their background and qualifications and their objectives for NAC are contained in an article starting on page 28 of the aforementioned magazine. The SFFB-endorsed candidates occupy the middle positions on the ballot, and SFFB urges TNS members to vote for those three to infuse NAC with new energy and perspective, grounded on extensive, relevant experience.

If you're not a current member of The Naturist Society but would like to vote in the NAC Board election, you may join TNS (scroll down to Naturist Society Membership) promptly through South Florida Free Beaches. Watch the mail for your ballot, which may be inserted in a copy of N Magazine, and vote promptly. Remember that your completed ballot must be postmarked no later than August 15, 2017 to be counted.

Beach Ambassador training

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, August 12 (previously scheduled for July 8, but postponed) and October 14. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a training session, contact Ken.

Florida free beach updates

Final reminder: Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN), mentors of Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, have a fun event coming up, the 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).

TAN cap

Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) now offers a complimentary, branded baseball cap with each new membership. TAN has launched a semi-monthly beach gathering at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, FL to set up an information table, hand out flyers, and enjoy the sunset together. These events are clothed. There are occasional TAN Board meetings at Casa Tina Mexican restaurant, also in Dunedin. TAN is organizing a contingent to travel to the Blind Creek Beach annual skinny-dip described above. TAN plans to have a beach cleanup on Saturday, September 16 in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day. The 1st Annual TAN Tribal Council takes place at Sunnier Palms Nudist Resort in Fort Pierce, September 22-24, including days on Blind Creek Beach. Get dates and other details of TAN's events at facebook.com/TampaAreaNaturists/events.

Palm Beach Naturists (PBN) held its first beach cleanup on June 17 at Gulfstream Park in Delray Beach, FL, collecting and removing 35 pounds of trash, and its first Board meeting on June 24. The next Board meeting, featuring an update on the status of PBN's clothing-optional beach effort, takes place on Tuesday evening, July 11 at Panera Bread in Sunshine Square in Boynton Beach, FL. All interested in joining and/or taking an active role are welcome to attend. The group is hosting its next beach cleanup at Coral Cove Park in Tequesta, FL on Saturday, July 15 and another at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach, FL on Saturday, September 16 in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day. Get dates and other details of PBN's events at facebook.com/pbnaturists/events.

Palm Beach Naturists experienced a minor disappointment when the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council voted on June 8 to recommend against a clothing-optional beach at Gulfstream Park. That location-specific recommendation is not binding on the County, however, and conversations about various possible sites occurred in June with other officials, including a County Commissioner and park managers at MacArthur. "Like" PBN's Facebook page at facebook.com/pbnaturists and subscribe to its e-mail list to be kept informed of developments.

SFFB Board meeting on Haulover Beach, July 8

Haulover Beach chickee

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!

July 8, 2017
August 12, 2017 September 9, 2017
October 14, 2017
November 11, 2017
December 9, 2017

Haulover Beach notes

Beach access for dogs has been extended to every day, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. between lifeguard towers 2 and 3 (textile area). The Bark Park, located near the south picnic area, is also open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. For either amenity, park in lot 3 or 4 and pay $2 (cash only) per vehicle for entry, provided at least one of the passengers is a dog.

Haulover Beach turtle nest

It's turtle nesting season, and Haulover Beach is getting its share of activity. Do not disturb any nest or turtle. For additional information, consult the Miami-Dade County Sea Turtle Conservation Program.

Paris delays setting up clothing-optional zone in park

We reported in the October 2016 issue that the City Council of Paris, France had approved in principle a proposal by Green Party councillors to create a public, clothing-optional zone in Bois de Vincennes, one of the city's forest parks. It was supposed to open last month, but the City has delayed the opening until spring 2018 at the earliest.

God's Garden adds core exercises to event schedule

The ice cream social that God's Garden for Naturist Christians held in West Palm Beach, FL on Sunday, June 11 featured flavors and toppings galore. Fill-in-the-blank questions were presented to attendees, followed by humorous and lively responses as they sat and floated in the heated pool and hot tub.

God's Garden graphic

On Sunday, July 9, God's Garden discusses nudity in the Bible. Members learn about the original wording of the Bible and why it is often translated simply as nakedness when, in reality, there are several different meanings. Understanding these differences is necessary to understanding why non-nudists believe the nudist lifestyle to be sinful. The discussion is followed by a skinny-dip in the pool and hot tub. On Saturday, July 22, the group enjoys its monthly movie matinée, with the title determined by the attendees, followed by a skinny-dip.

God's Garden hits the road for Parrothead Party Weekend, July 27-30, at Cypress Cove Nudist Resort & Spa in Kissimmee, FL. At press time, 18 God's Garden members had indicated they would attend. The resort bills this as its biggest party of the year. Click on the above link for details.

During July, there are weekly core exercise classes for God's Garden members, held in a private home and taught by a personal trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Patrons may be nude, clothed, or anything in between, according to their comfort level. Contact God's Garden for details.

Garden of Eden painting

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.

Ocean City, MD passes anti-top-free ordinance

We reported in the November 2016 issue that top-free activist Chelsea Covington had asked the Ocean City, MD Police Department and the State's Attorney for Worcester County, MD whether it would be against the law for her to go top-free on the beach. The Police Department deferred to the State's Attorney, who, a bit stumped, passed the question to Maryland's Attorney General for a ruling. Nine months went by without a response.

With the beach season starting, the Ocean City Beach Patrol issued on June 5 a directive to its employees not to approach or admonish top-free women on the beach and only to track, but not respond to, any complaints about them. Ocean City already had an anti-nudity law on the books but, reacting to publicity, the City Council held an emergency session on June 10.

The Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning the public exposure of female breasts and asserting that, despite the Maryland constitution's guarantee of equal protection of the law regardless of sex, the Town is not obliged to ignore physiological differences. Immediately following the vote, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan stated, "This ordinance provides clarity as to the position of the Town of Ocean City, that we will not allow women to be topless [sic] on our beach or on any public property within city limits."

Pushed by events, Maryland's Attorney General's office finally isued a letter on June 15 stating, "It is our view that Maryland courts would hold that prohibiting women from exposing their breast in public while allowing men to do so under the same circumstances does not violate the federal or State Constitution." Town officials expressed satisfaction that their position now has state backing. Meanwhile, Ms. Covington's lawyer has indicated that he intends to sue Ocean City in federal court.

We will monitor this story and bring you updates as they occur. For background and details, read Captain of OC Beach Patrol issues guidelines on female toplessness, Ocean City acts to keep women from going topless at beach, and Topless advocate to fight Ocean City beach nudity ban in court.

Reminder: Registration open for GNI annual men's nude Gathering; key deadline July 15

GNI Gathering
Featuring celebrated entertainers!

Do you enjoy the iconoclastic, down-home, political and social humor of comic and Internet sensation Trae Crowder, "The Liberal Redneck?" If so, see him live in concert on Sunday evening, August 20, 2017, exclusively at the GNI Gathering! Trae tells you about it in this brief video clip.

Trae Crowder image

GNI has also booked Lady Bunny, comic, DJ, song parodist, and founder and host of New York's legendary and long-running, annual Labor Day Wigstock Festival, to perform at The Gathering.

For an idea of what The Gathering is like, watch some videos.

Reminder: Registration continues for Gay Naturists International (GNI)'s 32nd Annual International Gathering of Male Naturists. The Gathering takes place August 18-27, 2017 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 Liberty 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. After July 15, a late fee of up to $60 kicks in, depending on the length of stay selected. Registration remains open, however, into August.

GNI Gathering mobile app
Keep checking the free app for Gathering program updates!

The registration fee covers housing in dormitory-style cabins (camping optional; RVs welcome, but utility hookups are not available), all meals, snacks, and beverages (including beer and wine), and events, activities, and entertainment (except the optional Body Electric massage weekend workshop and add-on excursions, which require additional fees). 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.

South Florida Free Beaches
PO Box 530306
Miami Shores FL 33153-0306
United States