South Florida Free Beaches Florida Naturist Association Winter 2007 Jan-March Vol. 7 – No. 1 www.sffb.com The Body of Art – A Festival of Nude Art Cypress Cove Resort Special Issue: Florida’s Fabulous Nudist Resorts • Mid-Winter Naturist Festival – page 4 • The Body of Art Nude Art Festival – page 10 photo: Dave Brown • Florida’s Fabulous Nudist Resorts – page 11 2 The SunDial A Quarterly Journal of Florida Naturism Current issue, back-issue archive, and advertiser information online at: www.sffb.com/sundial.html Email: [email protected] Phone: 305-893-8838 Fax: 305-893-8823 Editor: Michael Kush SUN CLUB Printer (offset lithography): SFFB’s Naturist Social Group Thompson Press, Inc. 16201 NW 54th Avenue, Miami, FL 33014 View current activities and sign up 305-625-8800 for email event announcements: Publisher: www.sffb.com/sunclub [case sensitive] Phone inquiries: 954-961-2908 Mobility-challenged Haulover Beach visitors: Free Electric Beach Wheelchairs Available For Your Use Florida Naturist Association, Inc. PO Box 530306, Miami Shores, FL 33153 Contact park office: 305-947-3525 Incorporated 1980 – Creators & mentors of Haulover Park’s clothing-optional naturist family beach— Dedicated to preserving and protecting free beaches and naturist rights in Florida. Website: www.sffb.com SFFB/FNA Officers, Directors & Beach Ambassadors: Richard Mason, President & Treasurer pro temp Norma Mitchell, Vice-president David Baum, Secretary [open office], Treasurer SFFB/FNA Directors & Beach Ambassadors: Justin Hopkins – Paul Friderich, Jr. Clyde Lott Electric wheelchair, tiki hut shelter and beachside SFFB/FNA Beach Ambassadors: shower projects executed by B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Annette Almanza – Marianna Biondi – Bruce Frendahl Foundation with funding by a Miami-Dade Parks Michael Kush – Norman “Doc” McClesky Department Capital Improvement Grant Mike Reynolds – Shirley Mason – Ondre Reid and by contributions to B.E.A.C.H.E.S.’ Martin Wedegis – Ray Zanarotti Haulover Park Improvement Fund. Tallahassee Legislative Lobbyist: Donations to B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation are Ray Maury, The Maury Group tax-deductible – see page 7. 3 Local Briefing: ed naturist beach at Haulover, South Florida Free Beaches, While most of us are busy working to pay our taxes and to now is that time. If we don’t know who you are or how to find time to take a little respite on the beach or at our contact you, we can’t alert you if we should need your favorite nudist resort, there are thousands of lobbyists and support in speaking up. Please see our form on page 7. businesspeople working to get control of public lands so they can convert them to profitable commercial enterprises. Florida State Business: With park departments much neglected by government SFFB’s Government Affairs representatives will again be entities and getting the short end of county and state bud- speaking at the South Florida legislative delegation public gets, schemes are constantly presented to turn public park- hearings that are held in each county each session. We also land into cash streams for investors and government plan to be in Tallahassee in March to meet with newly departments. The promises of jobs and a percentage of elected state legislators to educate them on the benefits that gross revenue and taxes can be enticing. Haulover’s naturist beach brings to the Florida tourism At the Florida state level, a few years ago we witnessed the industry. And our professional lobbyist will be reviewing new investors in the failed Cypress Gardens convince the legislative bills for any anti-nudity wording that could governor and legislature to hand out $25 million in taxpay- affect the continued existence of our beach. er money to attempt to revive the failed privately-owned attraction. A nice attraction – but it could not compete with National Report: Disney World, Universal, and Busch Gardens in the free On December 12, 2006, the Ohio legislature passed Senate market. Despite the taxpayer handout, it’s now failed. Bill 245. Aimed at sexual predators, this bill makes it a Locally, we have seen investors convince Miami-Dade serious crime for an adult merely to be nude in front of a County residents to turn over 39 acres of virgin scrub forest minor. The Naturist Action Committee opposed the bill as next to MetroZoo to private interests to build a theme park, worded, and lobbied bill sponsors and committee members hotel and shopping center. The reason? They were told the to reword the bill to protect naturist families. They were new attraction would be a better use of the land and would ignored. So now it is a serious crime in Ohio for naturist bring more people to the struggling county zoo. (In Miami- parents to skinny-dip with their kids, or take them to a Dade, County Charter Article Six requires a county-wide nudist resort. voter referendum to give away or develop parkland.) South Florida Free Beaches has fought and defeated similar This scheme was quickly put on the ballot for a vote this bills introduced in Florida, that if passed would have effec- past November. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were tive closed Haulover Beach to nude recreation. suddenly available for a brilliant media and direct mail The message to the beach visitor: If you live in New Jersey, campaign, which included expensive color brochures in New York, Tennessee, Missouri or any other state, who every mailbox in the county. Endorsed by the Miami would you call to protect your rights as naturists if a bill Herald – which hasn’t seen a development it didn’t like – similar to the Ohio bill were introduced in your state? the proposal passed. Public interest groups simply don’t Your only proven choice it the Naturist Action Committee have the money to oppose such a massive PR campaign by – the naturist fire department. A $20 annual donation will the developers. help support the cause, and you will receive the NAC I don’t sit in judgment on whether this was the best use of newsletter informing you of legislative threats throughout that land. Personally, because we have a park-to-people the U.S. We urge you to send in your contribution today: ratio deficit compared to most other areas of comparable population, I oppose giving up public parkland without replacing it with additional public land elsewhere. The warning light is lit! The thing that should concern Haulover visitors is this: Suppose a plan was hatched to take a section of Haulover Park and turn it over to develop- ers? I’m sure what happened last November was not lost Naturist Action Committee on those eyeing more beachfront land. Lobbyists who have PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903 a strong influence in this county would try to get it on the www.naturistaction.org ballot, and based on the promise of new taxes and jobs, the people could well vote to sell or give the land away. See you at the beach, or at one of the Naturist Gatherings or If there ever was a reason for Haulover visitors to get on Festivals listed elsewhere in this newsletter. board and join or support the one naturist organization responsible for the creation and mentoring of the designat- Stay informed. Be involved! 4 Mid-Winter Naturist Festival Sunsport Gardens Resort Loxahatchee, Florida February 15th – 20th, 2007 Join hundreds of naturists from across the USA for six days of Fun, Growth & Community featuring New Age experiential workshops focusing on health, personal growth, arts, ecology, and relationships. Information – schedule – registration: www.sunsportgardens.com • 800-551-7217 photos of 2006 Festival by David Baum Florida’s Most Beautiful Nudist Resort 6 NEW POLL SHOWS THAT 54% OF AMERICANS – 65% OF THOSE UNDER 35 YEARS OLD – APPROVE GOVERNMENT-DESIGNATED CLOTHING-OPTIONAL BEACHES Friday, October 20, 2006 recreation, as is often done for other special recreation NATURIST EDUCATION FOUNDATION interests like snowmobiling, surfing and hunting. Approval for government designation of clothing-optional areas has ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF NATIONWIDE risen from 39% in 1983 to 48% in 2000, and has reached ROPER POLL ON SKINNY-DIPPING AND 54% in the 2006 survey.* NUDE SUNBATHING “Public approval has been building continually for desig- Oshkosh, Wisconsin nating clothing-optional areas,” noted NEF Chair Bob Mor- A new nationwide poll commissioned by the Naturist Edu- ton. “But governmental agencies have been slow to respond cation Foundation (NEF) and conducted by the prestigious to the emerging demand. This updated poll demonstrates polling firm of Roper Public Affairs, indicates that close to that the trend is certainly no fluke. A majority now expects three-quarters of Americans approve of nude sunbathing on governments to respond.” beaches set aside for that purpose. The Naturist Education Foundation, Inc. is the nonprofit In the scientific sampling of 1009 U.S. adults conducted education and informational adjunct to The Naturist Soci- recently by Roper, 74 percent of those polled said they ety, an organization with thousands of members who enjoy believed people who enjoy nude sunbathing should be able nude recreation throughout the U.S. and Canada. By gath- to do so without interference from local officials as long as ering and disseminating information, NEF promotes body they do so at a beach that is accepted for that purpose. The acceptance and an understanding of naturist issues. sustained high approval rating for nude beaches is up slight- *In the 2006 poll, support for government-designated ly from the 72% who responded favorably to an identical beaches was highest with those under 35 years old – 65% poll question posed by Gallup in 1983, and off a bit from the high of 80% who approved in a 2000 poll commissioned by View poll data at: www.naturisteducation.org NEF and administered by Roper.