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FLORIDA    

No current NAC Action Alerts, Advisories or Updates

Public Land

State Parks
In concert with local naturist organizations and individual naturists, the Naturist Action Committee is pursuing the return of officially-recognized clothing-optional recreation within portions of Florida State Parks.

National Parks
Certain sites at Canaveral National Seashore have long traditions of clothing-optional use. Most popular is Playalinda in the southern portion of the Park Service unit. Since 1995, naturists at Playalinda have been under the threat of citation or arrest because of a Brevard County anti-nudity ordinance. Deputies of the County Sheriff's Department have appeared on the beach in uniform and in plain clothes. Harassment at the beach beyond parking lot 13 is sporadic.

In the northern portion of Canaveral National Seashore, Apollo Beach lies in Volusia County, which does not have the anti-nudity ordinance of its neighbor to the south. In 2000, the Naturist Action Committee brokered an agreement between naturists and the National Park Service to allow official recognition of the historic clothing-optional use of a porion of Apollo. Naturists are advised to use the area south of parking lot 5.

Weldon Amendment
In 1997, Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL) successfully attached a rider to a federal spending authorization The so-called "Weldon Amendment" prohibited the federal government from spending funds for signage advising the public of a nude beach on any federal property in Brevard County, as long as a county ordinance forbidding nudity existed. Of course, the target was Playalinda at Canaveral National Seashore.

Each successive DOI spending authorization included Weldon's amendment, until 2007. In that year, Republicans lost control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the language of the Weldon Amendment was quietly removed. It has not returned since.

Local

Progress has made in the effort to convince Brevard County commissioners that regardless of the questionable legality of attempting to apply the county's anti-nudity ordinance to traditional clothing-optional areas of federal property at Canveral National Seashore, enforcement is costly and unproductive. NAC's Nude Beaches YES! posters have played an important role. It remains to be seen whether the progress was lasting or transitory.
 

Brevard County Commissioners' meeting, February 7, 2008. Note the Naturist
Action Committee's Nude Beaches YES! posters. CLICK TO ENLARGE,
and look carefully to see who's holding NAC's poster.
 

Midwinter Festival

February 11-16, 2010
Midwinter Festival
Sunsport Gardens
14125 North Road
Loxahatchee, FL 33470-4699
(561) 793-0423
www.sunsportgardens.com

Youth Camp

July 18-25, 2010
TNS Youth Camp
Sunsport Gardens
14125 North Road
Loxahatchee, FL 33470-4699
(561) 793-0423
www.sunsportgardens.com

Legislature

The Florida legislature meets from March 2, 2010 through April 30, 2010. Bills from 2009 DO NOT CARRY OVER to the 2010 session. There is a prefiling period for bills.

The NAC board member responsible for Florida is Morley Schloss.

View the state laws for Florida.

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