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Hanna to stay put, likely end county bid
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer Jack Hanna, host of television's Animal Adventures, has all but signed a contract renewal with Busch Gardens, a park official said Monday, derailing Citrus County's courtship of the celebrity. "There is nothing in our discussion with Jack that would give us any reason to believe that we won't have a signed agreement," said Busch Entertainment Corp. spokesman Fred Jacobs. The three-year deal with Busch Gardens in Tampa, where Hanna has based his popular television program for nearly a decade, comes during a bidding contest among several groups hoping to lure him away, including the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne and Columbus Zoo in Ohio. For a short time, it appeared Citrus was a leading option. Hanna visited in May and praised the relatively unspoiled landscape and simple lifestyle. "It's like going to Old Florida," he said. But he also expressed allegiance to Busch, as the theme park helped him create the syndicated television show, viewed by 2.4-million people each week. "We never wanted to walk away from Busch, but there was a time when Busch was uncertain with what they wanted to do and we had to get on with our lives," said Hanna's business parter, J.R. Johnson. "Now they've resolved those issues." The prospect of Hanna opening and closing his show from Citrus County and mentioning his new home on Good Morning America and the Late Show with David Letterman, where he is a regular guest, had some officials practically salivating. County Commissioner Josh Wooten was one of the biggest champions and proposed using revenue from a proposed increase in the tourist tax on hotel rooms as part of the package offered to Hanna. The Economic Development Council also pledged financial support. Despite initial talks, a formal meeting between county officials and Hanna never occurred. "If he was looking to relocate by October, I think he would be aggressively in town discussing things," Wooten said. A proposal was likely to face opposition even if talks progressed. Some critics said the county's money should be put toward other uses that directly affect residents. Wooten hopes that Hanna will follow through with plans to buy a vacation home along the Homosassa River. Perhaps, he said, there could be an arrangement for more limited promotion. Jacobs said Busch's agreement with Hanna would certainly preclude a deal with another theme park, but he was unsure about a noncompeting interest, such as a county. Neither Hanna nor Johnson could be reached Monday and Jacobs would not disclose the terms of the contract, citing confidentiality. Hanna had previously been paid $1.2-million to make personal appearances at the theme park and other locations. Johnson denied earlier that Hanna's shopping around was simply a way to sweeten a deal with Busch Gardens. "That would be absolutely the wrong way to deal with Busch," he said. "They never said they didn't want to do business with us. They said it would be a difficult year for them. Now they've come back and said we really want to see if we can work something out." -- Alex Leary can be reached at (352) 564-3623 or leary@sptimes.com
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