Swiftmud decides it won't try to end the attraction's lease should it miss a Jan. 31 deadline for work on its sewer plant.
By ROBERT KING
Published November 19, 2003
[Times photo: Kevin White]
A group of Weeki Wachee Springs supporters wore their "Save Our Tails" T-shirts and carried signs declaring their support for the park Tuesday as they traveled to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's meeting in Bartow.
BARTOW - Weeki Wachee Springs supporters spent two hours on a chartered bus Tuesday traveling to a meeting about the park's future.
The meeting lasted five minutes. Still, none in the crowd, who waved signs of support and wore purple "Save Our Tails" T-shirts, was disappointed.
Weeki Wachee's landlord, the governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, decided Tuesday to let the park show that it can fix its problems without an ax hanging over its head.
Swiftmud, which owns the land where the water park sits, had been pressing Weeki Wachee to accept a make-or-break Jan. 31 deadline for disconnecting its archaic sewer plant. Swiftmud says a plant leak could contaminate the Weeki Wachee River.
Weeki Wachee's existing lease required the sewer plant to be shut down a year ago - a failure that prompted Swiftmud to consider closing the 56-year-old Florida landmark known for its mermaid shows.
In August, as Swiftmud prepared to act, the private ownership group which held Weeki Wachee's lease donated their company to the city of Weeki Wachee, a town of nine residents.
Under city ownership, park officials said they would be able to restore the park to its former glory. And they even promised to dismantle the sewer plant by Jan. 31. Swiftmud officials agreed but sought to get that pledge in writing, along with wording that calls for immediate termination of the lease if the deadline isn't met.
Weeki Wachee attorney Joe Mason declined to give up that ground, saying Swiftmud would be hard-pressed to find a judge willing to allow the lease to be terminated when plans are in the works to make the sewer connection.
On Tuesday, Swiftmud's governing board seemed to acknowledge the futility of such a fight, particularly given that park officials say work on the sewer plant could begin next month and be finished long before Jan. 31.
"Our legal staff tells us that we didn't have the authority to make them sign the lease (amendment)," said Thomas Dabney, chairman of Swiftmud's governing board.
The only concession Swiftmud won on Tuesday was an agreement from Weeki Wachee to turn over its profit and loss statement for 2003 as soon as it is ready in February. Already, the park had agreed to give Swiftmud quarterly updates on its financial status.
Swiftmud's board has now discussed Weeki Wachee at its last four monthly meetings. But it has decided that, from now on, it will leave the matter to its staff.
The governing board will likely get involved again only if Weeki Wachee fails to complete the sewer connection by Jan. 31 or if it violates the lease in some other way.
"I think the ball's in their court," Dabney said.
Swiftmud's board normally meets in Brooksville, but a major water issue at the southern end of its 16-county district led them to schedule the meeting in Bartow.
Robyn Anderson, mayor of Weeki Wachee and the park's general manager, thanked the roughly 40 supporters who made the trip. She said the outcome was worth the trouble.
"This was nothing but another hurdle. I said it in the beginning and I'll say it again. Weeki Wachee is here to stay," Anderson said.
"Here we are still standing. We refuse to go anywhere."
Anderson said the park has now spent $98,000 on repairs since this summer. Three small buildings have been demolished. A foot bridge and the riverside animal theater have been rebuilt. The park's main restaurant, which had major wood damage, was restored. A contractor has been hired to do the work on the sewer system. And soon billboards on Interstate 75 and U.S. 19 will beckon motorists to visit the attraction.
"I think they are impressed that we are doing what we are doing," she said. "I think they are getting sick of seeing us," she said.
Aside from making the sewer hookup, the one remaining issue hanging over Weeki Wachee is a series of complaints pending before the Florida Commission on Ethics.
The complaints allege that Mayor Anderson and the other two city commissioners - Anderson's mother and another of her employees - should not have voted on the park's transfer because they stood to personally gain from it.
All three commissioners live in housing owned by the park - Anderson at no cost because it is considered a perk of the job.
Swiftmud officials say they are eager to see how the Ethics Commission sees the matter. If the Ethics Commission finds a conflict of interest, they could nullify the city's takeover of the park, returning it to its previous ownership group.
Mason, who has successfully navigated Weeki Wachee through this troubled park season, is convinced that, based on his research, concern about conflicts is groundless.
- Robert King can be reached at 352 848-1432. Send e-mail to rking@sptimes.com
