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Nudity Takes Off

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By JACK HARRIS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 24, 2008

In late May, it was learned that the Caliente Resort and Spa, a nudist retreat in Land O' Lakes in Pasco County, had temporarily lost its accreditation from the American Association for Nude Recreation. The reason was that the organization was alleged to have been advertising activities beyond just nudism, involving perhaps some kind of sexually exploitive pursuits. That's frowned on by the AANR which touts itself as a family organization.

I was told by an insider at Caliente that the week following the publication of the story, they received over 100 new applications for membership.

Now the idea of taking it off is taking off in Hillsborough County as well. A condo complex near Racetrack Road called the Arbors at Branch Creek is now planning to set aside one of its two swimming pools as a place for nude swimmers, sunbathers and hot tubbers. There'll be sufficient landscaping and shrubbery to keep it hidden from the prying eyes of voyeurs.

The owners of the complex say the competition is so keen these days that this will help set them apart from the rest.

With six rapidly growing nudist resorts in Pasco County, and perhaps a trend unleashed at The Arbors in Hillsborough County, we might soon find the Tampa Bay Area being expelled from the National Clothing Retailers Association. It appears that less is more in clothing these days.

Our First Champions

Longtime Bay area sports fans might have been swept with a wave of nostalgia last week when it was announced that the United Soccer League has granted a first division franchise to a group in Tampa, and that they intend to call the team the Tampa Bay Rowdies. While signs at the entrance to the city of Tampa proclaim it as "The City of Champions" - citing the Super Bowl winning Bucs, the Stanley Cup winning Lightning and the Arena Bowl winning Storm - old-timers will recall that the first major professional champions around these parts were the Rowdies of 1975 who captured the North American Soccer League Cup in their first year. They were also runners-up to the Pele-led New York Cosmos twice.

Apparently the new team will revive the old look, including green and gold uniforms and slogans such as "The Rowdies are a kick on the grass."

Just about all of the old Rowdies reside here, including the irrepressible Rodney Marsh, whose locks are now shorn and the gold has turned a little grayish, but the mischievous look and laugh is still a constant.

Jocularly,

Jack

Jack Harris co-hosts AM Tampa Bay weekday morning on WFLA-AM and is involved in a number of other radio and television broadcasts.

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