ZooTampa's $75 Million County Deal Clears First Vote, but Not Without a Fight

Hillsborough County commissioners voted 4-3 last week to keep finalizing a deal that would send ZooTampa at Lowry Park $75 million in public money over the next 15 years, the largest single funding commitment the zoo has ever received from the county. ZooTampa will match it dollar for dollar, creating a $150 million pool the zoo plans to spend on its long-term master plan, including a $100 million South America-themed expansion and upgrades to its tiger and orangutan exhibits.

The money comes from the Community Investment Tax, the county's half-cent sales tax dedicated to public facilities. Under the draft agreement, the county would pay out up to $5 million a year from fiscal year 2027 through 2041. The board has not yet signed the final contract. A public hearing and the vote that would actually authorize the funding is scheduled for Oct. 7.

Not everyone on the board is on board

The Sept. 16 vote split the commission. Ken Hagan, Harry Cohen and Gwen Myers voted no, and Hagan accused the county of "cherry-picking" one institution while leaving other local cultural organizations without a clear path to funding. He said other groups were "getting the shaft" by comparison.

Those other groups aren't hypothetical. The Florida Aquarium, Glazer Children's Museum, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, the Tampa Bay History Center and Tampa Theatre are all seeking county support too, with combined requests reported at roughly $90 million. None of them has a deal on the table anywhere close to ZooTampa's.

What $150 million buys

ZooTampa President and CEO Joe Couceiro said the new money builds on more than $50 million the zoo has already spent over the past three years on its manatee rescue mission, the Florida Waters exhibit, the Discovery Center and a stingray facility. Those projects have helped rehabilitate and release more than 600 manatees back into the wild, according to the zoo.

The next phase centers on a South America-themed sector, with new habitats, dining and event space designed to showcase species most Florida visitors would otherwise only see by traveling to Central or South America. Couceiro said the zoo also plans to renovate its tiger and orangutan exhibits near the park entrance, two of its most visited attractions.

Couceiro framed the investment as part of a longer push to turn ZooTampa into what he called a "21st-century, world-class zoo." He said every community deserves a great zoo, and pointed to the growth already underway near the park entrance and along its waterfront exhibits as evidence the zoo can deliver on big commitments.

For Tampa families, the practical effect won't show up overnight. Zoo officials have said they intend to work through the master plan project by project rather than all at once, so the South America expansion, the tiger and orangutan upgrades, and any Asia or Australia-themed additions mentioned in county planning documents will likely roll out in phases over the coming decade and beyond. The county has not released a construction timeline or said which project breaks ground first. That detail, along with whether commissioners find a way to fund the aquarium, the Straz Center and the other institutions asking for help, is likely to shape the debate at the Oct. 7 hearing.

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Header photo: Marcus Quigmire from Florida, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)