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Nudists Right To Fight Club's New Push

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

You know you've gone too far when you make a nudist blush.

But that's what's happened at Caliente, the upscale nudist resort and pricey housing community in Pasco County that's considered the Ritz-Carlton of the naturist world.

Managers are marketing the facility to swingers and other "hedonists," creating a standoff with those who want their classy nudist resort back.

Who can blame them? Nudists have spent years trying to convince others that their clothes-free lifestyle has nothing to do with sex. And until its recent suspension by the American Association for Nude Recreation, Caliente had an excellent reputation as a family-friendly nudist resort.

Some online reviews confirm what Caliente homeowners have complained about - swingers and hedonists lured to the resort by a new marketing campaign have created an atmosphere of unwelcome sexual advances and risque behavior.

The resort's managers apparently have discovered that young swingers spend more money on booze and pricey dinners than do families that include grandparents and children.

Still, they're wrong to take a corner of the world and turn it into a sex club.

While most people don't understand the nudist lifestyle, the industry has a $450-million annual economic impact in Pasco, the "nudist capital of the United States." Continuing to promote lewd behavior threatens the community's reputation and the property values of those who live there.

Homeowners are right to demand an end to the resort's new marketing plan. Just because they've lost their inhibitions when it comes to wearing clothes, doesn't mean they've lowered their standards when it comes to behavior.

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