Brazil considers restoring legal naturism at Galheta Beach
Florianópolis takes up a bill that could reestablish one of the country’s most iconic nude beaches
After nearly a decade in legal limbo, a new bill to restore legal naturism at Galheta Beach (or Praia da Galheta, in Portuguese) has cleared its first hurdle in the Florianópolis city council, putting one of Brazil’s most iconic nude beaches back at the center of local politics. Late last month, the city’s Commission on Constitution and Justice approved the proposal, which would once again authorize social nudity on the beach’s sand and in the sea while keeping the surrounding trails and ecological zones clothed.
A history of nude use
For generations of nudists in Brazil, Praia da Galheta has carried a kind of mythic quality. Tucked between cliffs on the eastern edge of Florianópolis and reached only by footpath, the beach became a national landmark for nude recreation in the 1970s. It was a refuge long before it had any formal recognition, which happened in 1997 when the city finally legalized naturism there by ordinance. Over the years, Galheta’s reputation grew into one of Brazil’s most beloved naturist destinations.
Florianópolis has 42 beaches. Galheta is the only clothing-optional one, and one of just a handful in all of Brazil. For local residents, that rarity shapes how the place feels. “Having a clothing-optional beach here is something truly special, especially because it’s the only such beach located within an urban area in Brazil,” says local beachgoer Mark K., a Planet Nude reader who lives in Florianópolis and considers Galheta his local nude beach. “Since Praia da Galheta is a secluded beach set within a preserved green area, it represents a rare chance to connect with nature in a way most people only experience after traveling long distances.”
The formal recognition of naturism that the beach did once enjoy was relatively short-lived. In the 1990s, the city created the Galheta Municipal Park to protect the area from real estate pressure and explicitly listed naturism among the allowed uses. The 1997 naturism law gave visitors clear legal cover. Then in 2016, the park was reclassified as a Galheta Municipal Natural Monument, a shift that municipal lawyers interpreted as revoking the earlier authorization for naturism.
Overnight, the beach slipped into a legal gray zone. Nudity never disappeared; visitors continued to go nude there, but the law no longer backed them. The result was predictable: confusion, inconsistent enforcement, and political hesitation about how to manage a beach where naturism remained culturally rooted but no longer formally sanctioned.
Practiced caution and inconsistent enforcement
On the ground, the culture has carried on with practiced caution.
“In practice, it mostly works the same as before, since the city does not actively enforce the policy,” Mark K. explains. “Many visitors do not even know the law changed, while others are more cautious. People tend to be more mindful now. If you see the police, which is easy, given the beach’s limited access points, you put your clothes on.”
The ambiguity has had consequences. Naturists have long complained that the trails and vegetation around Galheta are used for sexual encounters and other behavior that has nothing to do with naturism—a problem that plagues the more remote nude beaches all over the world. For years, the local nudist association, Amigos da Galheta (AGAL), has reported those activities and asked the city for help, with little response.
In that vacuum, Mark K. says, some people have started acting as informal enforcers. “What worries me about this ambiguity is that some individuals feel empowered to act as vigilantes,” he says. Last summer, he recalls, an elderly naturist couple from Argentina were confronted and attacked by conservative surfers while nude on the beach, unable to fully understand why they were being targeted.
Now, thanks to advocacy from local naturists, Galheta’s nude status is back on the table.
#SaveGalheta
Late last month, a municipal bill to restore legal naturism at Galheta passed the Commission on Constitution and Justice in Florianópolis. Authored by two members of the Florianópolis city council including Councilor Carla Ayres, who has embraced the cause, the proposal would allow nudity along the beach’s shoreline while keeping the surrounding trails and ecological zones clothed. Naturism would be permitted only on the sand and in the sea. The text also calls on the city to install clear signage and take responsibility for environmental protection, order, and safety.
The push is not only in the council chambers. Naturist advocates have launched petitions calling for a safe and preserved Galheta and, more recently, for approval of the new bill. Local associations encourage supporters to sign, share information, attend public hearings, and show up when the issue appears on the municipal agenda. For those outside Brazil, the most tangible contribution is to follow and amplify the work of groups like AGAL and #SaveGalheta, which publish bilingual updates and organize on-the-ground action.
Supporters frame the measure as a return to clarity. Instead of viewing naturism as a problem, they argue, regulating the practice gives public authorities the tools they need to prevent the very issues critics cite. The critiques of naturism at the beach are familiar ones. Opponents claim that the practice was “distorted” during the years of legal ambiguity, pointing to police reports and allegations of sexual activity in the dunes. Yet data from the Municipal Guard paint a more restrained picture.
The new bill still has hurdles ahead. It must pass through additional committees before reaching the full city council, and at least one councilmember has already signaled continued opposition on grounds of “security” and neighborhood impact. If approved, the decision will ultimately rest with Mayor Topázio Neto.
Playing politics
Behind the debate is a wider political struggle. Activists and local observers argue that the 2016 law that downgraded the park’s protections and threw naturism into limbo also made the area more vulnerable to future development. In that reading, naturism becomes both collateral damage and a convenient talking point for conservative politicians eager to rally support with claims about morality, even as long-term residents and naturist groups push for a model that pairs environmental protection with clear rules for social nudity.
For Mark K., the stakes are straightforward “My hope is that naturism becomes clearly legal again, with no ambiguity, and that the city and state focus their enforcement on people who actually commit crimes around the beach and make the naturist community feel unsafe,” he says. “Florianópolis is a beautiful tourist city, and I would love to see it enter the global naturist map so more people can enjoy this stunning beach. Clear legalization would benefit visitors, the local economy, and the naturist community.” 🪐
Notes
Associação Amigos da Galheta. (2025). Naturismo rumo à regulamentação na Galheta. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/agal_praiadagalheta/
Ayres, C., & Dinho. (2024). Pelo direito ao naturismo com segurança na praia da Galheta. Gabinete Inteligente. https://www.gabinteligente.com.br/leads/praia-da-galheta-152
Guia Floripa. (n.d.). Galheta Beach. In Guia Floripa. Retrieved December 8, 2025, from https://en.guiafloripa.com.br/tourism/beaches/cruet
Neves, F. (2025, November 29). Nudismo na Galheta: o que falta para prática ser permitida em praia de Florianópolis? NSC Total. https://www.nsctotal.com.br/noticias/nudismo-na-galheta-o-que-falta-para-pratica-ser-permitida-em-praia-de-florianopolis
Oliveira, M. (2023, November 3). Queremos uma Praia da Galheta segura e preservada: junte-se a esta causa! Change.org. https://www.change.org/p/queremos-uma-praia-da-galheta-segura-e-preservada-juntem-se-a-esta-causa
Redação Agora Floripa. (2025, November 30). Florianópolis: avanço do projeto reacende debate sobre naturismo na Praia da Galheta. Agora Floripa. https://www.agorafloripa.com.br/florianopolis-avanco-do-projeto-reacende-debate-sobre-naturismo-na-praia-da-galheta/
g1 SC. (2024, January 9). Como surgiu o movimento naturista da praia da Galheta, alvo de discussão por nudismo em Florianópolis. G1. https://g1.globo.com/sc/santa-catarina/noticia/2024/01/09/como-surgiu-o-movimento-naturista-da-praia-da-galheta-em-florianopolis.ghtml
Save Galheta. (2024). Save Galheta. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/salvegalheta/
The second last paragraph about legal nudity constraining development is so familiar. The moral outrage expressed when our South Australian nudist beach at Maslin was proclaimed in 1975 died down within months when developers discovered that property prices had actually increased post the proclamation. All of sudden, nudity was acceptable to the most conservative.