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Buyer: Nudist plan no joke
By KELLY RYAN and JOUNICE L. NEALY © St. Petersburg Times, published October 14, 1998 Galen Ballard, president of Titan Marketing Group in Homosassa Springs, said "Gardens of Eden" would be a naturalist day resort and spa, with an indoor-outdoor cafe, picnic areas and whirlpools. He said he is offering the Turner family, the attraction's owners, $2-million to buy the property. Ballard would spend another $3-million to renovate Sunken Gardens, while planning to keep some flamingoes, parrots and a bald eagle. "This was a historic, never-to-be duplicated property," Ballard said, adding that most nudist resorts are in less populated areas because developers generally "can't find the privacy in town. Look at what you'd have to do to wall them in." "Well, the Turners did it 100 years ago," he said. On Tuesday, City Council members said they thought the idea was somewhat of a joke, a ploy by the attraction's owners and attorney to persuade the city to purchase and preserve the land. "The city can't buy everything," said council chairwoman Bea Griswold. "I don't think it's the council's business at this point." For now, one of the attraction's owners agrees it is not the city's business. "I just got a real nice hard contract," Jim Turner said Tuesday. "And it looks good to me." Turner said his attorney will review the contract and "'see where we go from there." "They stopped one sale," he said of the city. "I don't think they're going to stop this one." City Council members voted in May to make the property a local historic landmark, a designation that makes the property more difficult to develop. While neighbors had campaigned for the landmark status, the Turners said it would render their property nearly impossible to sell. Sunken Gardens had been on the market for 10 years. Once the attraction was made historic, a developer who wanted to build town homes backed out of a contract. Another contract to build a spa has lapsed. Ballard said the attraction would be perfect for a clothing-optional clientele because of its quiet, relaxing and natural atmosphere. A "shallow meandering swimming pool" will be located in the grass-covered center of the park, where the Turners have held weddings and other special events. The day spa will feature saunas, massages, mineral baths and other luxuries. Ballard said he would market the facility to European tourists, particularly from Germany and France, and package it with hotel stays and other nearby attractions. The American Association for Nude Recreation has more than 50,000 paying members in the United States and the Caribbean, according to a letter Ballard wrote the city. The city's legal staff still is reviewing whether a nudist resort is an appropriate use of the property. City developers have asked Ballard for more information so they can begin studying what kind of zoning change, if any, his company may need. Assistant City Attorney Mark Winn said a limited review of the proposal has not posed any zoning issues. At City Hall on Tuesday, employees and council members relayed jokes about a nudist resort landing just north of downtown. They laughed about holding the council's next retreat there and looking for jobs as groundskeepers. No one was overwhelmed with calls from residents frightened about a nudist resort popping up in their midst. In fact, most officials said most of their calls had come from reporters. Should this deal fall through, some council members said they may be willing to appease the Turners on one point. They said they could consider asking residents to vote in a March referendum whether they want the city to purchase and preserve the attraction. "People always have the right to be heard," said council member Larry Williams.
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T. PETERSBURG -- A Citrus County Realtor and environmental activist says he is quite serious about buying Sunken Gardens and turning it into a mecca for nudists.
