Bill Martin is a Quaker Christian from Florida still trying to get Natura, his family-oriented naturist community, off the ground. Martin is now negotiating to buy land for the venue in Anderson, near Greenville, South Carolina. He emphasized that the area is in the midst of an economic boom, and is ready for a nudist venue. We reached Martin by telephone at his Florida residence.
Originally, Natura was to be located in Hudson, Florida, but the 120 acre property Martin had designated as the site for the community there is in limbo, as he and the owners are engaged in a legal battle. Martin has abandoned all hopes of locating Natura there. He owns another 12.5 acre property nearby, which he wants to turn into a naturist trailer park.
Martin has received intense media attention over the years, leading some to suspect that this is just a big publicity stunt, but as he underlines, they come to him, not the other way around, and he’s already sunk 300,000 dollars into the project. When asked if he was a man on a mission, Martin rejected that notion, but he does admit he’s a man of conviction. For one, he’s a staunch supporter of nudist children summer camps, and was in the crosshairs of (now disgraced) Congressman Mark Foley, he says, when the latter was devoting all his energy into closing such camps.
Invariably, the press reports that Natura will be a “Christian naturist community”, but Martin is quick to point-out that this isn’t true. Natura will be a naturist community open to all naturists, not just Christians, he explained, guided by principles compatible with Christian naturism. “The Lake Como Nudist Resort was founded by a Mennonite”, he added. The focus at Natura will be on providing a safe environment for naturist families with children to live in. The BBC has interviewed him nine times so far, the latest a video shot in Anderson. Martin is upset that the British media giant later interviewed three local Baptist clergymen, who, not surprisingly, condemned the plan.
Martin claims that the people of Anderson have generally been supportive of his plans, despite attempts by some to change the zoning of the land he’s looking to acquire in order to prevent Natura from being constructed there.
Editor’s Note: This article has generated a bit of controversy. We’ve received several complaints regarding mr. Martin since it’s publication. We’re attempting to substantiate these claims and only if and when we do will we publish a follow-up story.
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