News
Nude-girl videotapes spur state inquiry
Published: Jul 29, 2003 - 01:57 PM
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush's office asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Friday to look into the activities of a Pasco County nudist who markets videos featuring nude girls.
Walt Zadanodf, former president of a group that sponsored a controversial nudist summer camp for teenagers, had sold the videos on his Sun-Dressed Marketing Web site. They include full frontal shots of elementary-school-age and teen girls at beauty pageants in Europe.
Walt Zadanodf, former president of a group that sponsored a controversial nudist summer camp for teenagers, had sold the videos on his Sun-Dressed Marketing Web site. They include full frontal shots of elementary-school-age and teen girls at beauty pageants in Europe.
The 68-year-old Zadanoff said he is one of a number of distributors of the videos, which he defends as a legitimate product for nudists. But he said he pulled the videos from his site Friday because of the controversy created by a story about them in the St. Petersburg Times.
"It's a lawful product," he said. "There is no sexual depiction of any kind or even innuendo. They are merely nude family videos."
A letter from Bush's general counsel, Raquel A. Rodriguez, asked the FDLE to determine whether any laws were broken in the production and marketing of the videos and report back to the governor within 30 days.
U.S. Rep. Mark Foley said the videos, which sell for $44.95 to $109.95, are "nothing more than a fix for pedophiles."
Last month, Foley criticized a camp for naked children ages 11 to 17 at Pasco County's Lake Como nudist resort. It was sponsored by the nudist organization Zadanoff led from 1990 to 1992.
Zadanoff said Foley has seized on the issue for political gain. The West Palm Beach Republican is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Graham.
"I agree with his wanting to protect children, but he has just gone so far overboard," Zadanoff said. "He's looking for something to support his political agenda at this point."
Zadanoff acknowledged there could be pedophiles among his customers, but he said it was not anything he could control. State Attorney Bernie McCabe said the sales don't appear to break the law, which delineates between nonsexual nudity and lewdness.
The American Association for Nude Recreation said it didn't have anything to do with the video sales and has asked Zadanoff to remove a link from his Web site to its site. American nudist resorts don't have beauty pageants for nude children, the association said.
"It's a lawful product," he said. "There is no sexual depiction of any kind or even innuendo. They are merely nude family videos."
A letter from Bush's general counsel, Raquel A. Rodriguez, asked the FDLE to determine whether any laws were broken in the production and marketing of the videos and report back to the governor within 30 days.
U.S. Rep. Mark Foley said the videos, which sell for $44.95 to $109.95, are "nothing more than a fix for pedophiles."
Last month, Foley criticized a camp for naked children ages 11 to 17 at Pasco County's Lake Como nudist resort. It was sponsored by the nudist organization Zadanoff led from 1990 to 1992.
Zadanoff said Foley has seized on the issue for political gain. The West Palm Beach Republican is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Graham.
"I agree with his wanting to protect children, but he has just gone so far overboard," Zadanoff said. "He's looking for something to support his political agenda at this point."
Zadanoff acknowledged there could be pedophiles among his customers, but he said it was not anything he could control. State Attorney Bernie McCabe said the sales don't appear to break the law, which delineates between nonsexual nudity and lewdness.
The American Association for Nude Recreation said it didn't have anything to do with the video sales and has asked Zadanoff to remove a link from his Web site to its site. American nudist resorts don't have beauty pageants for nude children, the association said.
