don's report archive
Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)
Tuesday February 11, 2003
One of my many pleasures in running for mayor of Tampa has come from raising issues other candidates avoid. This pleasure is especially pronounced when I introduce topics the rest would not approach with the proverbial ten-foot pole. An example would be the issue of a nude beach!
A nude beach has never been debated in Tampa, insofar as I can determine, but it has been and remains a controversial issue in nearby Pinellas County. Pinellas is the jurisdiction where all the nearby beautiful white-sand beaches are located, and thus the preferred location where Tampa-based beach-goers enjoy the sand and surf. In that county, political leaders recently ruled against a clothing optional (CO) beach on their assumption that most voters in Pinellas would not approve. As I see it, this narrow-mindedness presents the good people of Tampa with a golden opportunity. I think we should "seize the day" and earmark a site somewhere in Tampa for CO purposes. One possible location, already identified as desirable by a local nudist group known as TAN (Tampa Area Naturists) is Picnic Island near the Gandy Bridge.
Consistent with my platform of a "well city devoted to liberty and the pursuit of happiness," I think Tampa should make a special effort to provide area residents and visitors with a CO beach. There are a lot of people who might like to sunbathe, swim, frolic and otherwise cavort in a wholesome manner in the all-together, or "in the buff," starkers or however you prefer to express the idea of being butt-nekked in public. It seems harmless in itself AND good for the community in at least three different ways, namely, economically, freedom-wise and mental health-wise. Let me explain each of these three advantages, as I see them.
Economics: A CO beach will help us attract the "creative class" whose presence Richard Florida (Rise of the Creative Class) identified as vital to the prosperity of American cities. Miami Dade County has had a clothing-optional public beach for over eleven years. Haulover Beach in the northern part of the county attracts over one million visitors annually, earns the county over $1 million per year in parking fees, brings in large numbers of tourists and tourist revenues, and has not caused problems for the county. It is a good example of how a CO beach can be an asset to the community. The Miami Herald recently rated Haulover Naturist Beach as the number 5 place to visit out of the "100 Great Ways To Have Fun In The Sun" in South Florida. We would not want visitors to think that the people of Miami are more tolerant, open-minded, progressive and fun-loving that the people of Tampa. Surely they are not. The Tampa Area Naturists (TAN) organization estimates that a CO beach in our area would bring in more than $50 million dollars in tourist revenues annually.
Freedom: Freedom of choice for consenting adults is a very important issue in my campaign. Not everyone would want to avail him or herself of the opportunity to visit a CO beach, but like other community attractions, a CO beach is not for everyone. Neither is Busch Gardens, the Aquarium or any other attraction in our area. Let's maximize choices for everyone.
Mental Health: The culture and the media, via advertising and other influences, have caused many people to feel insecure about their bodies and religions have compounded the problems with subtle guilt messages that equate nudity with temptation, sin, wickedness and other negative feeling states. Society needs a population with healthy body images and opportunities to remove the sense of shame about our bodies that many people endure due to poor sex education and dysfunctional experiences in early years. A CO beach is not a panacea for overcoming all of this, but if managed well could mitigate some of the fear, tension and other negativity associated with negative images suffered by young and old alike.
My position: I support a family-oriented, CO beach at Fort De Soto Park, Picnic Island or anywhere else such a designation could be made that would afford suitable privacy, parking and other supports. My only reservation is that sun exposure is highly dangerous to fair-skinned people and thus partial or complete exposure is definitely not conducive to skin cancer prevention or good health. However, if adults wish to take the well-known risks of exposing themselves literally and otherwise to the damaging rays of the sun, that's their business and not that of public officials. Self-responsibility and freedom are my watchwords. I favor choice whenever such choices do not infringe on the rights of others. We don't bar people from non-optional clothing beaches for reasons of skin cancer prevention, so there is no basis for seeking to prevent this hazardous form of self-abuse by nudists, either.
Pasco County to our north is home to six nudist resorts that represent an adult version of Disneyworld, attracting 100,000 nudists annually. A recent Wall Street Journal article ("Nudist Resorts Are Catering To Affluent Tourist Crowd," Evan Perez, January 17, 2003) revealed that 18 percent of Americans would consider visiting a nude resort. Thus, a CO beach in Tampa, say at Picnic Island, would be financially attractive for Tampa. A 2001 national survey by the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) identified 262 clubs and businesses in this country that cater to nudists. Also, AANR claims that 19 percent of Americans have skinny-dipped in mixed company. I say, "Let's give the remaining 81 percent a chance to do so, before it's too late!" Unlike a lot of the 19 percent, let's give them this opportunity in an open and accepting fashion, so they don't have to sneak to do it, as I did in my fondly remembered youth.
I want to say, someday, as did the mayor of Palm Springs, CA, that we in Tampa are proud of what area nudists did for our community." Referring to a nude resort in that city, the mayor said, "They've done a lot to increase property values and increase our tax base." Closer to home, Pat Mulieri, a county commissioner in Pasco, said "Our nudist resorts have provided a much-needed tourist tax base. The resorts bring in people from out of state and from other countries." Similarly, the assistant county administrator in Pasco County, Dan Johnson, told a WSJ reporter "over time, the nudist resorts have come to be seen as just another part of the local business community."
Given the large local naturist population and the number of naturist tourists we already attract and others who would follow on the opening of a CO beach in Tampa, I believe such designation, with clearly marked signage, would become a valued asset to our community. For these reasons, I fully support a CO beach in our community. I believe a CO beach in Tampa, as elsewhere, would enhance the efforts of this city's promoters to attract visitors and attendant tourist revenues and would be a source of pleasure for many of our people who would welcome such an alternative beach. Thus, I would fully support it if I become mayor.
Be well. Look on the bright side of life.
(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)
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