From the Ledger:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...il-Reveals-Legoland-Is-Coming-to-Winter-Haven
LEGOLAND is coming to Polk County.
The word leaked out Wednesday in an e-mail from a county tourism official to county commissioners in advance of today’s scheduled press conference at Cypress Gardens.
Merlin Entertainments Group purchased the Winter Haven theme park earlier this month. Merlin, the world’s second-largest owner of tourist atttractions, currently operates four Legoland parks, three in Europle and one in California.
The company will transform Cypress Gardens into LEGOLAND Florida, Polk County’s director of tourism and sports marketing disclosed in his memo Tuesday to county commissioners invited to Thursday's announcement by the company. All e-mails to county commissioners are available under Florida’s public-records laws.
Mark Jackson’s e-mail, marked “confidential until Thursday,” contained suggested talking points for local officials. Jackson’s memo emphasized Merlin’s stature in the tourism market and the commercial success of LEGOLAND California.
A spokeswoman from Merlin Entertainments Group last Friday confirmed the acquisition of Cypress Gardens but offered no details on the company’s plans, saying more would be revealed at Thursday's news conference. The Ledger had learned of the purchase through documents filed with the Polk County Clerk of the Courts.
Those records indicated a sale price of $22.3 million.
Merlin’s announcement Friday followed months of speculation that the company was negotiating with the owners, Brian Philpot and Rob Harper of Mulberry’s Land South Holdings.
A Merlin spokeswoman said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist would join Merlin CEO Nick Varney at today’s press conference, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Jackson’s memo said many other politicians are scheduled to attend, including Florida’s Senate President Mike Haridopolos; state Speaker of the House Dean Cannon; and Congressman Adam Putnam, R-Bartow.
In his memo, Jackson urged officials at the press conference to be positive in talking to media members. “Please avoid any comments about past ownership and/or problems at the park,” Jackson wrote.
Cypress Gardens, one of Florida’s oldest existing tourist attractions, evolved from water-skiing shows staged by ________ and Julie Pope in the 1930s. Once among the state’s dominant tourism draws, it was eclipsed in recent decades by Walt Disney World and other Orlando-area theme parks and has been in financial distress for years.
Cypress Gardens has gone through several changes of owners since the 1980s. Philpot and Harper acquired the park at a bankruptcy auction in 2007.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...il-Reveals-Legoland-Is-Coming-to-Winter-Haven
LEGOLAND is coming to Polk County.
The word leaked out Wednesday in an e-mail from a county tourism official to county commissioners in advance of today’s scheduled press conference at Cypress Gardens.
Merlin Entertainments Group purchased the Winter Haven theme park earlier this month. Merlin, the world’s second-largest owner of tourist atttractions, currently operates four Legoland parks, three in Europle and one in California.
The company will transform Cypress Gardens into LEGOLAND Florida, Polk County’s director of tourism and sports marketing disclosed in his memo Tuesday to county commissioners invited to Thursday's announcement by the company. All e-mails to county commissioners are available under Florida’s public-records laws.
Mark Jackson’s e-mail, marked “confidential until Thursday,” contained suggested talking points for local officials. Jackson’s memo emphasized Merlin’s stature in the tourism market and the commercial success of LEGOLAND California.
A spokeswoman from Merlin Entertainments Group last Friday confirmed the acquisition of Cypress Gardens but offered no details on the company’s plans, saying more would be revealed at Thursday's news conference. The Ledger had learned of the purchase through documents filed with the Polk County Clerk of the Courts.
Those records indicated a sale price of $22.3 million.
Merlin’s announcement Friday followed months of speculation that the company was negotiating with the owners, Brian Philpot and Rob Harper of Mulberry’s Land South Holdings.
A Merlin spokeswoman said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist would join Merlin CEO Nick Varney at today’s press conference, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Jackson’s memo said many other politicians are scheduled to attend, including Florida’s Senate President Mike Haridopolos; state Speaker of the House Dean Cannon; and Congressman Adam Putnam, R-Bartow.
In his memo, Jackson urged officials at the press conference to be positive in talking to media members. “Please avoid any comments about past ownership and/or problems at the park,” Jackson wrote.
Cypress Gardens, one of Florida’s oldest existing tourist attractions, evolved from water-skiing shows staged by ________ and Julie Pope in the 1930s. Once among the state’s dominant tourism draws, it was eclipsed in recent decades by Walt Disney World and other Orlando-area theme parks and has been in financial distress for years.
Cypress Gardens has gone through several changes of owners since the 1980s. Philpot and Harper acquired the park at a bankruptcy auction in 2007.
