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April 2018 President's Message
by Richard Mason
From a Naturist Perspective: Haulover Beach Report
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The late Lee Baxandall, Founder of The Naturist Society (TNS), warned South Florida Free Beaches, Inc. (SFFB), back in the day, that our current situation at Haulover would develop.
Background: The traditional naturist beach site had always been in a remote area with no amenities — a pond, stream, lake, or ocean beach, often difficult to locate and reach. Depending on the county or state and the attitude of the local sheriff, a traditional, naturist swimming hole could be a great place to relax and socialize with like-minded citizens or a place of intermittent relaxation and the fear of being cited or arrested merely for being nude.
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Lee Baxandall, 1935–2008
Founder, The Naturist Society
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Many naturists developed what was known then as "naturist neck," a condition caused by the constant looking to the left, right, and behind in search of the uniform of a sheriff's deputy hiding in the shrubbery. The cracking noise of a twig would throw a group of skinny-dippers into a frenzy as the men pulled up their pants and the ladies tried to hook the back of their bra with one hand while pulling up their pants with the other. This would throw them into a peculiar, one-legged dance without the benefits of alcohol or music.
There are still a few traditional, clothing-optional beaches around the United States, but most have been closed by anti-nudity groups that mobilized to help write laws and get them passed by local communities for the purpose of making mere nudity a crime. They were successful mostly because they were organized, while the naturists were not yet organized and incorporated as associations that could use their strength to educate elected officials and defeat biased and possibly unconstitutional anti-nudity laws. What did TNS Founder Lee Baxandall say?
Lee said that, if we create a naturist beach like Haulover in a metropolitan area convenient to reach, and then combine that effort with professional, government affairs strategies and protocols with the local government to achieve amenities like any other beach, we will attract naturist free-riders, non-naturist free-riders, and the general public who will wear clothing at the site.
At Haulover Beach, the lifeguards, the North Parking Lot, the opening of the pedestrian tunnel under Collins Avenue (State Road A1A), the bond issue for new restrooms, the bike racks, and many other amenities were due to the efforts of SFFB. The on-beach showers were built and paid for by B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute, SFFB's 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational and charitable adjunct, with SFFB's financial support. All of this happened without much appreciation or support by beach users for SFFB's efforts to keep Haulover Beach open to nude use by preventing deterioration in compliance with county ordinances, park rules, and principles of naturist beach etiquette. SFFB had assured government officials that naturists were "good citizens" who would comply.
Current situation: Over the past year or two, we have seen an increase of visitors on the beach who are wearing clothing. Arriving in groups, they set up in a location and most or all never get nude. We have had continuous conflicts with them over loud music as well as glass bottles and styrofoam coolers. Many of these visitors are oblivious to park rules and, when informed of them, a few get irritated. One person even threatened to punch me out!
Regular naturist beach visitors complain to us that these textile visitors are taking up the limited spaces in the North Parking Lot, which is dedicated to the naturist beach. The position of Miami-Dade County, which owns and manages Haulover Park, is that, since SFFB wanted the designated naturist beach and muscled its way into creating it, we are responsible for the behavior of beach visitors as well as enforcement of park rules and naturist etiquette. But who is going to tell that to the beach visitor?
.jpg "Haulover Beach Ambassadors") |
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Haulover Beach Ambassadors
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Our Beach Ambassadors are supposed to observe and report, but also to inform visitors of park rules. The problem is that many of the scofflaw beach visitors have an attitude. In the past, the traditional naturist beach visitors were well behaved, and the Miami-Dade Police Department did not feel it necessary to have a presence on the beach, but things change. We will have to see how the present situation plays out.
For all those who use Haulover and like what we created, we ask you to join and/or support our continued efforts. Just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is really no such thing as a free beach. SFFB is a sponsor / member association, incorporated in Florida in 1980 for the purpose of obtaining naturist beach locations for naturists. We have had a paid, professional lobbyist in Tallahassee, Florida's capital, since 1991, the year we started Haulover's nude beach. (See related article, below.)
Because we were the only strong naturist group in Florida, it fell to us to oppose anti-nudity laws and to police behavior all over the state since 1989. We are only as strong, however, as our support and membership because the reality is this: Naturist history tells us that, if South Florida Free Beaches goes away, so will the nudity on Haulover Beach. Then, whom will you call?
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.
SFFB also has a separate Legal Defense & Political Action Fund that supports its 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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Recap of 2018 Florida legislative session
by Richard Mason, SFFB President, and Ramon Maury, CEO & President, Maury Management Group, Inc., a Healthcare and Government Solutions Firm
Greetings to our South Florida Free Beaches family and friends. While we have all been busy trying to get the first quarter of the year behind us, SFFB's Governmental Affairs advocacy team has been in Tallahassee, representing the interests of naturists before the Florida Legislature during its 2018 session.
The legislature appropriated $50 milion toward beach nourishment, and we were able to include Haulover and Blind Creek Beaches and areas in Duval and St. Johns Counties [Editor's note: Jacksonville and St. Augustine areas, respectively]. We fought a controversial proposal that ultimately was adopted, proposed by the utilities and water reclamation industries, allowing said companies to pump reclaimed, cleaned water back into Florida's aquifers, from which municipalities will later extract and supply household drinking and bathing water. Proposals to ban the use of plastics and styrofoam failed. Coral Gables, FL has become the first city in Miami-Dade County to ban plastic bags for supermarkets and shopping.
The one area SFFB is most vigilant about concerns criminal justice, the judiciary, and the law. These committees are responsible for promulgating new laws for the criminal justice system, an area SFFB fights diligently to protect. Two proposed bills, HB 7017 and HB 7019, regarding public records
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Ramon Maury, SFFB's paid lobbyist
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on minors, child exploitation, lewd acts, sexual battery, sexual misconduct, and videotape statement of a minor, contained language troubling to naturists and our patron organizations, concerning how "images" of minors in the nude were being categorized. After eight weeks of working with the sponsors of the bills, a strike-all amendment was offered in the Judiciary Committee, completely exempting non-sexual, non-lewd images. The bill was adopted by the House of Representatives in a unanimous vote, but died in the Senate on the last day of session. Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) continues its efforts to reach the 10,000 signatures required on its petition seeking clothing-optional designation at state parks. In just ten months, we have collected a little under 3,500 signatures. [Editor's note: At press time, the number of signatures had surpassed 4,100.] Please join in the effort to bring back clothing-optional spaces on the West Coast of Florida. (See related article below.)
Coalition-building
• Working with ABATE of Florida to raise "Naturist Awareness and Acceptance."
• Working with Surfrider Foundation to "Preserve our Waterways and Beaches."
• Continue to 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 funding for Florida Healthy Beaches Program, a vital water quality program aimed at detecting dangerous levels of bacteria, water pollution, and respiratory ailments. Fund was cut by half in 2016 to $500,000 annually.
• Support beach renourishment funding. As a result of Hurricane Hermine, a significant portion of our East Coast beaches were washed away. Communities north of West Palm Beach to Jacksonville need funding to restore the coastal area.
• Support changes to Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks rule to allow a clothing-optional beach at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, FL on a pilot program basis.
Florida Tourism Day — January 17, 2018
SFFB participated. We successfully represented all naturists in Florida during Florida Tourism Day. [Editor's note: This annual event, sponsored by the private / public Partnership for Florida's Tourism, brings together hundreds of delegates for information exchange and lobbying of legislators.] Accompanying us were delegates from AANR-Florida, American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), and Tampa Area Naturists.
The tourism industry in Florida is the state's number one job creator. For every dollar spent in tourism promotion, $3.20 is generated toward our $120-billion economy.
Economic impact study
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 a statewide economic impact study (see the April 2017 issue of this newsletter for details), and here are the findings:
Nude tourism in Florida boasts 34 resorts, 5,100 total rooms at nudist resorts, 1.2 million annual rooms sold (2016), 2.2 million annual nudist visitors, 22 million annual nudist visitor nights, $4.3 billion annual nudist visitor direct expenditures, and $7.4 billion annual total economic impact. Haulover Park's clothing-optional ¼-mile (.4 km) section commands $1.4 million in parking fees and more than $1.2 billion in direct expenditures to the economy of Miami-Dade County.
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Florida's capitol in Tallahassee
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How to use the findings and SFFB goals:
• Protect existing state laws regarding nudity
• Repeal existing rules prohibiting nude recreation areas
• More clothing-optional areas on municipal, county, and state lands
• More clothing-optional resorts developed throughout the state
• VISITFLORIDA®, the state's official tourism promotion agency, to promote Florida nudist tourism worldwide
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 a state park area for nude recreation is a dream in the making. Thank you for helping us in any way with that endeavor and for helping us preserve Haulover as the "Gem Nude Beach of the Americas."
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Florida free beach news roundup
Palm Beach Naturists (PBN) has announced a public conversation on its vision for a clothing-optional beach in Palm Beach County. All interested are invited to attend. It takes place on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, 7-9 p.m. at Panera Bread, 548 E Woolbright Rd, Boynton Beach, FL. (Dinner is optional on your own dime. Carry your tray to the meeting tables.) This is a clothed event. Get details and RSVP.
Also, PBN continues to collect signatures on its online petition for a clothing-optional beach in Palm Beach County. If you haven't signed yet, please do so now via the preceding link. "Like" PBN's Facebook page at facebook.com/pbnaturists to be kept informed regularly.
Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) is stepping up its campaign for a clothing-optional beach in the Tampa Bay Area and continues to collect signatures on its online petition as well. If you haven't signed yet, please do so now via the preceding link. The petition page includes a fundraising button in case you would like to donate to the effort.
TAN is starting to publish an informative ad in support of its campaign. Click or tap on the image at right to view the full-size ad, or download a print-quality copy to use as a poster or flyer. "Like" TAN's Facebook page at facebook.com/TampaAreaNaturists to be kept informed regularly.
Reminder: Treasure Coast Naturists (TCN), the group that mentors Blind Creek Beach in Fort Pierce, FL, is holding its first nude bowling night on Sunday evening, April 22, 2018 at a location on Florida's Treasure Coast. TCN has surpassed the minimum of 40 attendees required to reserve the venue. To RSVP and obtain details, contact TCN ASAP at blindcreekbeach@yahoo.com.
At noon on the above date, TCN holds its annual town hall meeting on Blind Creek Beach, where it gives an update on the status of and plans for the beach. All are welcome. Also, the free naked yoga class on Blind Creek Beach resumes on Saturday, April 14, 2018, 9-10 a.m. Write to the e-mail address in the above paragraph with any questions.
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New Florida law affects "customary use" beach access
Governor Rick Scott signed HB 631 into law on March 23, 2018. Effective July 1, 2018, this new law blocks local governments from adopting ordinances to allow, under the principle of "customary use," continued public entry to privately-owned sections of beach (above the mean high-water line) even if property owners want to block off their land. Instead, any city or county that wants to do so will first have to get a judge's approval by suing the private landowners. Existing ordinances in St. Johns and Volusia Counties were grandfathered in.
There are widespread confusion and consternation over a misperception that this measure could somehow "close" Florida beaches to the public. That is not the case. Even if a beachfront property owner decides to demarcate his or her private land to keep the public off it, the public retains the right to use the portion of the beach below (i.e., seaward of) the mean high-water line. For details, read New law Scott signed makes public access to beaches harder to establish.
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Haulover Beach volleyball court relocates
Haulover Park management announced on March 25, 2018 that the remaining volleyball court in the clothing-optional section of the beach, near lifeguard tower 15, would be removed and relocated in early April to the area of beach in front of the Ocean Rescue (lifeguards) building in the textile section.
On request, park management is willing to accommodate small, pop-up nets for pick-up games on the back side of the beach near lifeguard towers 13 and 14, but at its sole discretion and on condition that those do not become disruptive or generate complaints.
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SFFB Board meeting on Haulover Beach, April 14
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!
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May 12, 2018 |
June 9, 2018
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| July 14, 2018
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August 11, 2018 |
September 8, 2018
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| October 13, 2018
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November 10, 2018 |
December 8, 2018
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The Naturist Society's 2018 event tour continues
The next event on the 2018 Naturist Tour schedule of nude gatherings and festivals that The Naturist Society (TNS) organizes or sanctions, respectively, is Young Adult Naturists Spring Fest: Full Bloom Music Medley, April 13-15, at Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves, FL (near West Palm Beach). All ages are welcome. Following that is the Eastern Naturist Gathering, June 27 – July 1, at Camp Timber Trails in Granville, MA. The tour theme is "Have a Nude Attitude."
TNS urges participants to sign up as soon as possible after registration opens for each event that they want to attend, which helps in planning and may save them some money. Register by April 15 for the best rates at the Eastern Naturist Gathering, which features a variety of lodging options on more than 400 acres (162 hectares) with a lake, hiking trails, outdoor amphitheater, woodlands, and fields.
TNS encourages volunteers to lead a workshop or other fun activity. For the Eastern or Western Naturist Gathering, e-mail Nicky with a brief description, which day(s) and date(s) you will be attending, and your preference for morning, afternoon, or evening. To help organize your submission, you may use the Naturist Gathering Activity Signup Form. For the other events on the tour, volunteer through the venues organizing them. Check the 2018 tour schedule for details and updates.
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Naturist scholarships available; application with essay required
Reminder: Up to four* naturist scholarships are available each year to students at an accredited college or university from the Naturist Education Foundation (NEF) and AANR-Florida (Florida region of American Association for Nude Recreation). Up to two NEF Scholastic Awards of $1,000 each, along with a complimentary, one-year membership in The Naturist Society, may be awarded. Up to two* AANR-Florida Young Adult Nudist Scholarships, each with a stipend of $1,500, are for a Florida naturist enrolled more than half-time in a degree-seeking program and subject to certain conditions (see below), with preference to younger students. *Only one AANR-Florida scholarship is to be awarded in 2018.
The application for a NEF Scholastic Award requires an original research essay on naturism, 3,000 – 6,000 words in length. There is no deadline for submission; the NEF Board of Directors reviews submissions as received. Applications are accepted from current members of The Naturist Society (TNS) and non-members alike, but only one award each year may be given to a non-member. (Get info on TNS membership.) Use the first link in this paragraph for rules, terms, and submission instructions.
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Click or tap above to download a flyer about the AANR-Florida Young Adult Nudist Scholarships to give or send to naturist college students and their parents. Application deadline is May 1, 2018.
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The application for an AANR-Florida Young Adult Nudist Scholarship requires an essay of 1,000 – to 1,500 words in length on this year's topic, Have my nudist activities made me more honest, or less honest? Or is it more complicated than that? The deadline for submission is May 1, 2018. In addition, the applicant must have been an active nudist since October 2016 (i.e., for at least 20 months before June of the current year, when the scholarship may be awarded) and an AANR-Florida member since June 2017 (i.e., for least one year prior to when the scholarship may be awarded). Use the above link for rules, terms, and submission instructions.
Interested and otherwise eligible college or university students who do not meet the current membership requirement for the AANR-Florida scholarship are urged to join AANR-Florida by June 2018 so that they can be eligible to apply in 2019. For ages 18 through 25, there is a reduced, student rate through any AANR-Florida club or directly through the AANR office. (Select AANR Student Membership.)
The Naturist Education Foundation also offers up to three NEF Junior Scholastic Awards per year, each with a stipend of $50, for winning essays by participants in Naturist Society-sanctioned youth camps (e.g., 11th Annual Naturist Family Youth Camp, July 14-22, 2018, at Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves, FL) that have writing contests or workshops. Use the first link in this paragraph for rules, terms, and submission instructions.
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