Along Florida’s Space Coast, where rockets launch and sea turtles nest, a new conflict is taking shape—and it has nothing to do with wildlife or rising seas.

It’s about nudists.

Playalinda Beach, a serene and legally nude stretch of shoreline tucked inside the Canaveral National Seashore, is at the center of a peculiar but very real dispute between America’s oldest nudist organization and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The conflict might sound like satire—rockets versus recreational nudity—but for thousands who seek solitude and sun without tan lines, it’s no joke.

“It’s probably a quarter million people that travel and think like I do, who look for destinations that are beautiful and surrounded by like-minded people,” said Deborah-Sue Stevens, a former regional director with the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), during a public Zoom hearing in September.

Now, those same travelers may find themselves locked out—quite literally.

Rockets Rising, Beaches Closing

SpaceX is currently expanding operations at Kennedy Space Center with the aim of launching its next-generation Starship rocket—a fully reusable system designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. But Starship’s arrival is far from quiet.

The rocket’s size and explosive launch profile require wide exclusion zones during tests and launches. According to a Newsweek report, this could lead to Playalinda being closed as many as 60 days per year. For nudists, that’s an existential threat to one of the few legally sanctioned clothing-optional public beaches in the state of Florida.

The FAA is still reviewing SpaceX’s draft environmental impact statement, which assesses the risk to marine life, air traffic, and human access. But construction of a towering Starship launch pad has already been underway for more than a year—a sign, critics say, that the company expects approval regardless of public feedback.

The American Association for Nude Recreation is fighting back. Founded in 1931, AANR is the country’s largest and oldest nudist organization. While its members tend to prefer harmony and sunshine over protest and confrontation, they’ve raised concerns about how the closures would affect local communities.

“This affects the larger, clothed public, too,” said Erich Schuttauf, executive director of AANR, as per Vice.

If the beach becomes inaccessible, many nudists may flock to Apollo Beach, another clothing-optional shoreline in nearby Volusia County. But Apollo is smaller, more regulated, and bordered by beaches where nudity is not allowed.

That’s a recipe for tension.

Schuttauf warned that this mass migration could overwhelm Apollo and end up crossing the line, potentially triggering disputes between the nudist faithful and their more clothed neighbors.

When Space Ambitions Eclipse the Shoreline

Not everyone sympathized with the nudists.

Max West, an aspiring space photographer who joined a public Zoom meeting on the issue, dismissed the concerns. “The turtles and the nudists will have to migrate,” he said. “That’s the cost that you have to pay for this incredible stuff that’s happening.”

Environmentalists might bristle at being lumped in with nudists, but both have voiced parallel concerns about SpaceX’s environmental footprint. From falling rocket debris to noise pollution and habitat disruption, Starship’s Florida expansion raises questions about how far the space industry can push without trampling over public lands — and public freedoms.

So far, state officials seem aligned with Musk (shocking, right?). In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office praised the project, stating it would include “at least $1.8 billion of SpaceX capital investment” and bring “an estimated 600 new full-time jobs in the Space Coast by 2030.”

As construction continues and the FAA inches toward a decision, the fate of Playalinda Beach remains uncertain. For now, the nudists are still there — undeterred, unwavering, and undressed.