Sixteen Florida mothers defended their right to breast feed by staging a "nurse-in" during a Miami Beach City Commission meeting Wednesday. The protest came after many residents complained about Gabrielle Redfern's habit of breast-feeding her 1-year-old daughter, Elsie. Normally, a mother breast-feeding her child wouldn't bother so many. In this case, Redfern is a commission candidate who breast-feeds her daughter during commission meetings. ''It's distracting,'' said Joe Fontana, President of the Miami Beach Condominium and Homeowners Alliance. ``Why inside? Why not step outside to do it." Under Florida law, "A mother may breast-feed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether or not the nipple of the mother's breast is covered during or incidental to the breast-feeding.'' ''Elsie's been coming to public meetings since she was 2 weeks old,'' said Redfern, the mother of two. ``I shouldn't have to choose between being a publicly involved citizen and being a good mother.'' ''I think it's a normal thing, but unfortunately there are still people in our society that are not used to having breast-feeding in front of them all the time,'' said Miami Beach Commissioner Matti Bower. No official complaints have been filed against Redfern.