Like the other Wild Oats stories, this took place in the 1970's. Sarasota no longer has a topless beach.
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"Sally, would you like to go to the beach with me on our day off next week?"
"Why the sudden interest in beaches, Jason?"
"There is a topless beach in Sarasota, North Lido Beach, that I would like to check out."
"Wow, we would have to be sure to take sunscreen, but sure, sounds interesting."
On our day off we loaded the car with beach chairs, towels, cooler, sunscreen, etc. and were on the road by 10 AM.
I estimated an hour of driving time, across the Skyway Bridge and down to Sarasota. We found a beach parking area with 8-10 cars, passed the sign that said "clothing optional beyond this point," and proceeded up the beach on the hard sand near the water.
We passed several pairs of guys sitting together nude on their towels with their total package on display and a few couples where the girl was topless and the guy had his swim suit on. We finally reached a narrow stretch of beach where there were a few scattered naked couples. We decided that this looked like a good area for us. This area of beach was narrow because the palm trees and undergrowth came down closer to the beach, but we could see that there were several paths that led into the trees. Jason said he would explore later.