WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Motorcoach operators who lost a major Florida tourist attraction when Cypress Gardens closed in mid-April may see the property again become a popular draw for charter and tour customers.
The state of Florida and two private businessmen are considering acquiring the 67-year-old park and reopening it with new attractions.
"We certainly can't rule out it could be turned back into a tourist attraction," said Kathalyn Gaither, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Dwindling attendance that accelerated after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and continued this year with the unsettled economy and general travel downturn, forced the closure of the 200-acre park, which was noted for its extraordinary collection of plants and flowers, Southern belles and world-famous water ski show.
The closure sparked an immediate interest by the state, which expressed concern that the property could be lost to a developer. Hoping to keep that from happening, the Florida Acquisition and Restoration Council voted 9-0 last month to recommend the property be added to the state's priority list of land acquisitions.
The recommendation has gone to Gov. Jeb Bush and his cabinet for approval next month. An appraisal of the property is underway and due to be completed before the meeting. Estimates have ranged from $14 million to $17 million.
Gaither said the state is interested in buying the actual garden area of the park and likely would not acquire the entire facility, which includes shops, restaurants, attractions and assorted other facilities.
Under the Florida Forever acquisition program, the state can purchase property that has historical or cultural value or contains rare plants and endangered animals that need protection. Land acquired under the program cannot be disturbed or developed, but it can be leased to private individuals or businesses.
Private interest in the property has come from Central Florida time-share mogul David Siegel and amusement park owner Kent Buescher.
Siegel, who has turned two failing resorts in Polk County into financially successful time-share properties, told the acquisition and restoration council at its meeting that if the state buys the property, he would like to obtain a 99-year lease for use of the land. He said he would maintain the gardens and the water ski show, but would add a series of educational programs and unique museums and exhibits ranging from sports memorabilia to beauty pageant gowns.
Buescher, owner of Wild Adventure theme park in Valdosta, Ga., said he would like to buy the park and sell the state a conservation easement so the historical value of the property could be preserved. He, too, would keep the gardens and water ski show, but would add a number of new amusement park rides in hopes of widening its audience appeal.
Cypress Gardens was founded in 1936 by Florida real estate salesman Dick Pope Sr. and his wife, Julie, who developed it into a showplace of more than 8,000 varieties of plants and flowers from more than 90 countries. The water ski show was added in 1943.
The Pope family sold the park in 1985 and it was sold again in 1989. The current owners, an investment group headed by Bill Reynolds, the gardens president and chief executive, bought it in 1995, hoping to pump new energy into the park that would translate into a growth in attendance. That didn't happen and the Reynolds group lost $6 million.