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Sunken Gardens may be Eden for nudists
By JOUNICE L. NEALY © St. Petersburg Times, published October 13, 1998 Jim Turner, Sunken Gardens owner, said Monday that he expects to have a contract by Friday from a Florida man who wants to develop "Sunken Gardens of Eden," a nudist resort. The two sides have been negotiating for the past two weeks. In May, Sunken Gardens was granted local historic status, which imposes restrictions on changes to the property. The designation infuriated the Turner family because city officials can now require a historic use of the property, killing a sale to a developer who wanted to build town houses on the site. "They want a historic use? This one goes back to Adam and Eve," said Turner family lawyer George Rahdert. Turner, who declined to name the prospective buyer, said if he sells Sunken Gardens to nudists the city is getting exactly what it asked for. "They can come in here and leave it historic and . . . do what they have to do and leave it just like the garden is. Just like the city wants," Turner said. City officials, who have already started looking into the legality of a nudist resort along Fourth Street N, said Monday that a limited review had not found a problem. The resort would not be considered adult entertainment because the nudity is not in "the context of sexually charged," said Assistant City Attorney Mark Winn. Winn said they were told resort services would include massages, a health center, a sauna and exercise classes. But Winn cautioned that the city has not received a detailed plan. Rahdert, who represents the Times on First Amendment issues, described the proposed resort as "a tourist attraction. It's open to the public. All you have to do is pay for your tickets and take off your clothes," he said. Rahdert said he was unsure whether any shows would be offered but "I think we could rule out alligator wrestling." City Council member Kathleen Ford said she had not heard about the nudist resort proposal so could not comment on the specifics. She said she didn't know whether members of the North Shore Neighborhood Association, who worked for the gardens' landmark status, knew about it. "A nudist colony? I don't think they'd really be pleased with that," Ford said. Sunken Gardens has been on the market nearly 10 years. The city has declined to buy it and, this year, refused to support a preservation group that wanted to operate it through grants. While pursuing the possible sale to nudists or to psychiatrist Dr. Karl Jones, the Turners have also written the City Council, once again asking that voters be allowed to decide whether the city should buy the attraction. The family suggests that the Great Explorations children's museum could move there from The Pier. Jones, who wants to open a spa for spiritual and holistic treatment at Sunken Gardens, had a contract to buy the place but allowed it to lapse. He will submit another one this week, said his wife, Joanne Jones. Jones was willing to pay about $2-million for the property, but Joanne Jones said the offering price will be a little less because the Turners are selling off the billboards. Turner declined to comment on the pending sale of nearly 40 billboards on interstates and U.S. highways around the state. That deal was originally scheduled to close Friday.
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T. PETERSBURG -- Sunken Gardens, the historic landmark that no one seems to want, could soon have a dress code: optional.
