Buck Naked

Getting financing proved difficult, and construction on the project languished from 1996 to 2000. But the opening of Caliente in 2002 ushered in a new era of upscale nakedness. From the 33,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse, which opened in 2004, to the 8,400-sq.-ft. pool and European spa, the community is big on amenities calculated to appeal to wealthy empty-nesters who prefer to do everything from bicycling to home repairs in the buff.

"I know everybody," Foster says as he zips down Los Cabos Court in his custom-designed, yellow Mercedes golf cart. Indeed, he greets all his bronzed neighbors by first names and points to homes occupied by lawyers, former law enforcement officials and retired Army colonels.

About 25% of Caliente's residents hail from Michigan. Many guests and residents are wealthy, though "you'd never know it," Foster says, stopping to greet a topless woman riding in her golf cart with her Shih Tzu. The middle-aged snowbird tells him she's enjoying her last few days of Florida sunshine before heading back up north for the summer months.

Real estate in upscale nude communities has appreciated like the rest of Florida's turf. Three or four years ago, a lot in a Caliente subdivision sold for $70,000 to $140,000. In March, a lot sold for $480,000. A 2,300-sq.-ft. villa in Caliente was listed for sale in the classified section of a recent American Association for Nude Recreation news bulletin at $500,000. Foster says he has a nine-page waiting list for the 250 to 300 condo units he plans on 25 adjacent acres he acquired five years ago.

Paradise Lakes, meanwhile, is in the midst of its third major expansion, which will include revamping the main lobby, building 39 more condo units near the entrance and converting 56 pool-front motel rooms into condo-efficiencies. The property is now co-owned by Joe Lettelleir, former president of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, who bought it in 1999 along with two other investors.

Other builders have jumped into Pasco's unclothed market as well. Directly across the street from Caliente, Port Richey-based Lexington Homes is putting the finishing touches on several homes in a new gated subdivision called Magnolia Point. The community is already sold out, according to a sign. Property records show sales ranging from $330,000 to $680,000.

The blossoming of Pasco's nudist sector may not be exactly the public relations godsend that local economic developers wish for, but the traditional business community seems at peace with the birthday-suited among it. The local chamber of commerce, for instance, has even held dinners (clothed) in Caliente's clubhouse.

That may have a lot to do with nudism's economic impact in the county. Resort officials say Paradise Lakes is the second-largest generator of bed tax dollars in the county, behind Saddlebrook Resort. Community residents pay about $1 million a year in property taxes, and a conservative estimate for the assessed value of all residential property in Paradise Lakes, not including the privately owned clubhouse, is $64 million. Toby Caroline, director of sales for Paradise Lakes Realty, says, "banks just love us here. We have them banging on our doors."

"They pay great taxes and don't use the infrastructure," adds Lettelleir. "It doesn't get any better than that for the community."

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