TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

City Gains Spot On Executive Zoo Panel

ADVERTISEMENT

By MIKE SALINERO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2008

Updated: 09/20/2008 12:12 am

TAMPA - Mayor Pam Iorio won several concessions from leaders of Lowry Park Zoo on Friday that both sides say should prevent future financial deals between the zoo and its executives.

The mayor last week demanded more accountability from the city-owned attraction after The Tampa Tribune revealed a partnership between the zoo and a for-profit venture run by its president, Lex Salisbury.

Zoo leaders at first refused the mayor's requests, but in a Friday morning meeting with Iorio, Salisbury and two board members agreed to put the mayor's representative on the zoo's policymaking executive committee. They also consented to a city audit of zoo transactions, including those with Salisbury's Safari Wild attraction.

"When that audit is completed, then I hope we can put the whole issue to rest," the mayor said. "It depends on what the audit says. But I'm hoping the audit is positive."

The zoo has contracted for a separate audit of its transactions with Safari Wild to make sure nothing improper took place.

The mayor also won the leaders' acknowledgement that zoo animals, except those owned by other government entities, are city property.

A full inventory of the animals, which has not been done since 1994, will now occur on a regular basis, according to the agreement.

Iorio said city auditors will start their work Monday morning.

Robert S. Merritt, the incoming chairman of the zoo's board of directors, said he welcomes the audit and will put additional financial and ethical safeguards in place when he assumes the chair. He said an audit committee will be created to review any relationships between zoo executives or board members and private entities.

"I want to pick a best practices model and make it more like a public company," said Merritt, who was chief financial officer for Outback Steakhouse for 16 years.

Conflict of interest questions arose when the zoo's executive committee entered into a lease agreement with Salisbury to board animals at his for-profit venture, Safari Wild, on 258 acres north of Lakeland. The zoo also paid to build two barns and install fencing there.

In addition, the zoo paid Safari Wild $600 a month to keep several bison there. Salisbury also was criticized because two rhinos from the zoo that were thought to be pregnant had been boarded at Safari Wild, and he said his attraction would have had the rights to some of the offspring.

Merritt, who sits on the executive committee, said members had been looking unsuccessfully for land to give the animals a break from confinement. Salisbury offered them 10 acres for free.

"The zoo needed land and it needed a place for its animals to go and regenerate themselves," Merritt said. "If they're always on display and don't get to run, they don't do well."

The executive committee didn't report the lease agreement to the rest of the zoo's board, which includes Santiago Corrada, Iorio's representative.

"I will tell you that communication was not as good as it should have been," Merritt said.

Corrada said he will make sure any transactions made by the executive committee will be transmitted to the full board.

The executive committee should not "be making these decisions in a vacuum," Corrada said.

Merritt said that despite the controversy, Salisbury's job is safe.

The zoo rose from one of the five worst in the nation to one of the best under Salisbury's leadership, he said.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman said Salisbury deserves a second chance. The county and the city gave a combined $900,000 in taxpayer funds to the zoo this year.

"Everybody makes mistakes," Norman said. "This was a big one, but he's done such a fabulous job for the community I think we ought to give him another chance."

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT