Lazydays Co-Founder Wallace No Stranger To Controversy

TAMPA - Don Wallace had a dirt lot, two travel trailers and $500.

That humble 1976 investment he made with his father and brother turned a small recreational vehicle business into "Florida's Newest Tourist Attraction," making Lazydays RV SuperCenter near Seffner an icon in the industry and a local landmark.

Wallace, too, became a prominent local figure, donating millions of dollars to charity and rubbing elbows with the who's-who of Tampa.

However, with money comes scrutiny.

In 1997, amidst community uproar and protests from preservationists, he tore down the historic Swann House on Bayshore Boulevard and made plans to build a 13,000-square-foot Mediterranean revival megamansion in its place. Some neighbors and history buffs decried the new house as tacky and out of place on Tampa's most scenic boulevard.

He raised eyebrows when he divorced his first wife, Marianne, in 1994 and later married her niece, Erika, who is 25 years his junior. Erika, now 34, is not related to him by blood. They have two children.

"He fell in love with Erika and he's not breaking any laws. They have a beautiful family and so what? This is a beautiful relationship," said Barry Cohen, Wallace's attorney.

Wallace, 59, is well-known in the community for hosting and attending charity fundraisers and giving high-profile donations to places such as the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and Kids Charity of Tampa Bay. He also has donated money to local schools, including Armwood High School and Gorrie Elementary School.

Mostly, Wallace is known as a legend in the RV industry. Now retired, he will be inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Ind., this summer.

"Don's definitely a visionary and has had a lot of impact on design of dealerships across the country," said Phil Ingrassia, vice president of communications for the RV Dealers Association.

Wallace's dealership isn't just a sales lot with scores of RVs. With an adjoining Cracker Barrel restaurant, a Flying J RV Travel Plaza and an upscale resort called the Crown Club, it's also something of a destination, which led to Wallace describing it as a tourist spot.

"He's had an impact on the way people view RV dealerships," Ingrassia said.

His passion for the business can be seen on the circular driveway in front of the $8.6 million pastel mansion on Bayshore. The driveway often has - what else? - a tricked-out RV parked out front.