Pasco: Park users may get new rules to hit, sunbathe and walk by

Park users may get new rules to hit, sunbathe and walk by

If you go to county parks to practice golf, sunbathe nude or walk pets, new regulations may soon apply to you.

By JOE NEWMAN

Golfers, pet owners and nudists, listen up: If you're planning to visit a county park, officials want you to stop chipping, pick up after your dog and, while you're at it, put on some clothes.

County commissioners are considering an ordinance that would prohibit hitting golf balls and more clearly define and prohibit nudity in county parks. The ordinance also would require pet owners to remove any messes left by their animals.

Although nudity is not allowed at county parks, the proposed ordinance would allow park rangers and police to cite violators with something other than disorderly conduct.

Nudists have lobbied county officials for years to designate part of Fort De Soto Park a clothing-optional beach. County officials, however, say they're not interested.

"The nude beaches thing just doesn't seem to go away unless we do something in a more formal manner" such as passing an ordinance prohibiting it, said commission Chairwoman Sallie Parks. "It is pretty clear that that is not a community value we hold here."

County officials decided that as long as they're going to amend their parks code to prohibit nudity, they might as well take a look at other activities they want to ban.

Hitting golf balls in open fields at county parks is a hazard to other visitors and to park workers, said Joe Lupardus, the county's assistant parks director.

Complaints about animals are an ongoing problem, he said. Making pet owners clean up after their animals is a reasonable requirement, he said.

"That's becoming more prevalent throughout the country: making pet owners more responsible for their animals," Lupardus said.

The proposed ordinance also requires all pets, and not just dogs, to be on a leash.

County commissioners will consider the ordinance at an Aug. 31 public hearing. If the ordinance is adopted, violators could face a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 60 days in jail.

William Wolfe, a member of Tampa Area Naturists, said he's disappointed county officials want to ban nudity. The proposed ordinance makes an exception for nudity that is an expression of free speech, and Wolfe said he is pleased about that. His group has held nude demonstrations at Fort De Soto in support of a clothing-optional beach.

"There's a very large nudist population in this metro area," he said. "With all the beach territory that Pinellas County has, it's quite surprising that there's not an area set aside as clothing optional."

-- Joe Newman covers Pinellas County government. He can be reached by phone at 445-4166 or at newman@sptimes.com by e-mail.