The first things one thinks of when someone says Florida is sunshine. Florida has a mild climate for most of the year and this makes it the ideal place to get out and have some fun in the sun. The best place to soak up some rays is at the beach and with over 1,000 miles of coastline Florida is the perfect place to grab a beach towel, some sunscreen and hit the sand. So you go to the beach and get your tan, but what about all those pesky tan lines? Well, good news, should you choose to go ‘au naturel’ at the beach here are a few things you should know.

Nude tanning is really ‘taking off’, pardon the pun, in Florida according to James Thorner of the St. Petersburg Times, one Florida county is gaining “status as the North American Capital of Nudism.” That county – Pasco – just north of Tampa does have more than its share of residents and visitors willing expose themselves. Another popular place on the east coast is Playalinda Beach it is in the Cape Canaveral National Seashore and is a federally owned beach. Whether by word of mouth or force of habit, this remote stretch of beach is commonly to be a nude beach. Feel free to visit but be warned, according to FloridaNaturist.org, “inappropriate” dress is a crime in Brevard County due to a swimwear ordinance. As a matter of fact, at the out-of-the-way, but traditionally nude Federal Beach, a South American tourist was arrested for wearing a French-cut bikini. Yet, along the same coastline two hundred miles to the south, Miami-Dade County operates a legal clothing-optional beach, where any given weekend, a thousand or more totally nude men and women frolic in the surf and sun.

So what’s a body to do? While there is no Federal law against nudity it is not a guaranteed right. This means that state, county and local laws can take precedence.

That still begs the question: Is it legal to sunbathe in the nude at Florida beaches? Like many legal questions, the answer is “it depends”, in this case it depends on where you are, so your best bet is to check the local laws and be sure you know what they are, both county and local.

Ok, you’ve decided to go, you’ve decided to get a tan without tan lines here are a few tips, especially if you’ve never been to a nudist beach before, here are some commmon guidelines:

Gawking is impolite. If you want to go to the nudist beach for a thrill, do everyone a favor and buy a magazine instead. Ask for people’s consent before taking their photograph nude, or simply leave your camera at home. If you’re sunbathing nude in a secluded area, leave a bathing suit on a rock to let others know they are approaching an unclothed person. If you’re uncomfortable having your suit out of reach, bring a spare. On a wide open beach, position yourself in the open so you can see people coming and put something on before they get there if you need to. Get dressed before you leave the nudist beach. Be friendly, but respect others’ rights to privacy. Avoid sexual activity. It’s illegal and offensive. Advances of an unwelcome or unwanted nature are not acceptable anywhere, and especially at a nudist beach. Be Prepared. Sometimes, the nudist beach doesn’t have any amenities. Bring water, food, towel, sunscreen and anything else you need. Keep the nudist beach clean. If you carried it in, carry it back out.

So if you’re still in the mood for goin’ nude here are some places around Florida you might ant to check out:

Air Force Beach, Palm Beach County Apollo Beach, Volusia County Haulover Beach Sunny Isles, Miami-Dade County Hobe Sound Jupiter Island, Martin County Blind Creek Beach Hutchinson Island, Martin County South Beach Miami Playalinda Beach, Brevard County St. Lucie Inlet St. Lucie State Reserve, Martin County