nude beach - Loss of Smathers Beach?!

[greg meintjes]

Just wondering if you saw the pm I sent you. As far as Rick being spokesperson, that is a great idea, I said I would support you at the meeting , but I want to know what the points that are going to be discussed are. You have been talking to the mayor for 2 months , I started talking to the city regarding signs to designate that part of the beach as a kiting area and to try and get the pole removed 6 months ago (after a few of the locals said we needed to be proactive) The first thing I did was invite you and ask for your support- you declined , this was before the nude beach proposals had even been heard of, I wish you had offered your support then ,as then we might have got our signs up designating this as the kite beach and we would not have to worry about this problem. I would just like to know why you do not invite or get us involved, I am not the only one that would like to be involved. Ps you are right I do not need an invite when you are discussing your business with the city, and would not expect one, however the nude beach is not about your business ,and you said you hope we don't ruin it, how can we stick together if we don,t know what is happening. Ps I never threatened the city I would sue them, I told you and some of the other kiters a long time that if we got banned from kiting as a last resort we could always do what other people do and sue. I also never demanded anything from the city , in fact I had a very formal and pleasant meeting with them which finally led to us getting permission to remove the pole.

As far as teaching on the beach, yes you are very correct I do give a free beach lesson on how to set up and launch kites there , I never let a student fly a kite, this is purely a free safety and etiquet lesson. The reason I started doing this is a ;lot of new riders had no clue what to do on the beach, some of these were the kitehouse students( Spin, Jay , Marius and Letty to name a few, ) Some were from out of town and had nothing to do with you .In fact I refered some of them to you guys. I am also aware of the problems one has trying to do this out on the flats and that is why I do not mind doing this as a service. Ps when I met with the city I informed them what I did on the beach and why, I also met with Richard from Sunset Watersports who has the concessions on the beach and explained to him what I was doing, he also had no problem. The reason myself and other people don't want teaching on the beach is obvious, it is dangerous and a student and an instructor standing in the riding area flying a kite will ruin it for other kiters. I show them how to set up and what to do when they want to launch and I do not ever let them fly a kite, I don't even launch a kite to demonstrate this, as this will even get in the other riders way.

Paul I apoligise if I offended you, this was not a personal attack at you, I have always said we all need to work together, but we cannot do that if you don't include us, I am still waiting for your answer from the pm I sent you, and like I said in my pm, why not just call me or meet me over a beer , that would be much better than doing all this publicly on the forum.

Greg

[greg meintjes]

Yesterday I had a nice telephone conversation with one of the naturists(Allan), they are aware of us and were even going to come and talk to us the next time they saw us, however like most people not involved in the sport , they have no idea regarding how much of a riding and beach area we need.( He thought we only need about 150 ft for ourselves) I told him we need more than that on the beach, and quite a lot more in the water where we actually ride and asked if myself and some other kiters could join them for their meeting to discuss the situation. I also said that I do not speak for all the kiters and some of the other riders or even some of the naturists might have different ideas on the subject, but that this would be a good way to start to set some boundaries up. Allan said that we are all welcome to attend this meeting to voice our concerns.

The meeting is this Friday evening at 6 pm at the East end of the beach, myself and a few of the other riders are going to attend, this is an open meeting, anyone who wants to can attend and have their say , just be polite and respectfull, remember this is not a protest.

Greg Meintjes

[conchxpress]

Greg, do you have to go nude to this meeting? :lol:

[greg meintjes]

Of course, I was going to wear a fig leaf except Kim said I should really wear a banana leaf. LOL. Actually as far as I know everyone will be clothed, as this is a public meeting on a public beach. From what I have heard ,we do have the advantage on this subject of beach use, but Mike mentioned that nothing good can be gained from fighting with them and only good can come from working with them, and I agree. We all know how unfair it is when other groups unjustly try to ban kiting for no reason other than they don't want them in front of their condo,s etc , so lets show everyone we are willing to share the beaches ,but that we do need a sizable area to set up , safely ride and throw down in.

The Key West Citizen printed my letter to the editor in todays paper, and Mandy Bolen also wrote a new article on the issue in todays paper.

Greg

[conchxpress]

Can you re-print the article from Mandy here?

[greg meintjes]

Sorry Frank, but I think you have to have an online subscription for that, which I don,t have. I have just spoken to Tracey (a nudist ) who has asked me if I would stand up at the commission meeting and say that the kiters are willing to share the beach with them, I declined as I told her I do not talk for or represent all the kiters and that I also do not know how much of the beach and water area they wanted. I told her that on Friday ,myself and any other kiter who wishes to talk will let them know what we need to continue our sport and that if they can work around this then I will not oppose them and they are welcome to quote me etc. I personally, as long as it does not affect our kiting area, would rather have an organised group who can keep their bathers out of "our way" than the general public who we have no way of controlling. The talk was a pleasant one and I hope the meeting goes well on Friday.

Greg

[ricki]

Thanks for maintaining communications Greg. Here is Mandy's article. I couldn't find your letter to the editor online unfortunately.

"Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Nude beach question may be on Oct. 6 ballot
Question may be on Oct. 6 ballot
By MANDY BOLEN Citizen Staff

At least one Key West official wants to let the voters decide whether a nude beach should be allowed in the Southernmost City.

City Commissioner Bill Verge will ask his fellow lawmakers next week to place a question on the Oct. 6 ballot asking voters whether they support an exception to the current law that prohibits nude sunbathing within the city limits.

"This is a community decision, not a commission decision," Verge said Tuesday.

He wants to know how the voters feel about a nude beach.

In recent months, a group known as Florida Keys Free Beaches has been championing the idea of a clothing-optional beach. Representatives from the group spoke at a July 7 City Commission meeting. They described Haulover Beach, a clothing-optional beach in Miami Beach, and told the commission that the beach is safe, patrolled by its own beach ambassadors and family-friendly.

The group has suggested that the east end of Smathers Beach would be a good place for a clothing-optional designation, but they may have to work with several local kiteboarders, who use that area for their fledgling sport.

None of the local kiteboarding companies operate their business from that area, but it is where they capture the attention of many potential clients and students, said kiteboarder Greg Meintjes, who added that he and other kiteboarders do not oppose a nude beach, but they do want to be sure they still have access to their "adopted" area of the beach.

If Verge's proposed referendum makes it to the ballot, and if voters show support for a nude beach, it would be up to the City Commission to identify a location for it, Verge said.

Florida Keys Free Beaches also has explored using the area of Higgs Beach in front of West Martello Tower as a clothing-optional area.

That designation would require county approval, because Higgs Beach and the adjacent park property are owned and managed by Monroe County.

Commissioners will vote Tuesday on Verge's proposed referendum. The proposal must pass two public readings to become an official part of the Oct. 6 ballot.

Voters also will be asked whether the Key West mayor should serve a term of four years rather than two, and whether the city should sell a piece of property to the Pier House Resort.

The city owns the land that houses the resort's Caribbean Spa, and is considering selling it to the resort owners for about $6 million, although a purchase price is not yet finalized.

The City Commission meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Old City Hall, 510 Greene St.

mbolen@keysnews.com"

http://keysnews.com/node/15240