Brevard County deputies were busy again Sunday cleansing Playalinda Beach of nudists. They charged five more people under the county's anti-nudity ordinance -- bringing this season's total to 18. "Everybody was well-behaved on Monday," says Lt. Tom Stouch of the Brevard County Sheriff's Department.
Last year, 60 people were charged, while the nudists continued their legal battles to overturn the county's use of the ordinance at the federal beach at Canaveral National Seashore. On Sunday, the nudists staged a sit-in to protest the county's enforcement of the ordinance on the north end of the beach, where clothing-optional sunbathing had been allowed.
The anti-nudity patrols consist of two deputies on all-terrain vehicles. The opportunity to go four-wheeling on the beach might seem like enough incentive to convince deputies to volunteer for the duty. But there's more: The officers earn overtime pay for their work.
