Key West may get nude beach

KEY WEST, Fla., July 20 (UPI) -- The city of Key West, Fla., which contains a nude rooftop bar and nude pools, may finally get its first nude beach, city officials said.

The city, which annually hosts the 10-day "Fantasy Fest," where participants walk around in body paint instead of clothing, outlawed nudity on public beaches in 1983. But City Commissioner Bill Verge said he hopes to change that with a proposed Oct. 6 referendum that would allow residents to decide whether a slice of city-owned beach will go clothing-optional, The Miami Herald reported Monday.

Verge said the city commission has ``bigger fish to fry with all the budget problems. But if the community wants a nude beach, then the community can vote for it.''

Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy voiced her support for a nude beach in Key West.

''No one visiting us (from other countries) understands why we are such prudes,'' she said.