New Gardens m= anager calls reopening a rebirth of park

Bill Sims wor= ked for theme park when Popes owned it

Paul Crate / News Chief

Cypress Gardens owners Brian Philpot, left, and Rob Harper stand nea= r a portrait of Cypress Gardens founder Dick Pope, Sr. and his wife Julie durin= g a press conference Tuesday at the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce building. Bill Sims was introduced as the head of the management team that will run t= he day-to-day operations at the park when it reopens March 28. Tuesday, Feb. 2= 4, 2009

By Donna Kelly News Chief staff

Published: Wednesday, February 2= 5, 2009 at 4:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 11:47 a.m.

WINTER HAVEN - Florida's first tourist attraction will reopen just i= n time for spring break with a familiar face at the helm, lower admission prices a= nd perennial favorites from the past.

Click to enlarg= e

Rick Dantzler, left, legal counc= il for the Cypress Gardens owners, Brian Philpot, center, and Rob Harper, talk following Tuesday's press conference at the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce about the park's reopening and announcement of the park's new management. Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Paul Crate / News Chief

Cypress Gardens and Splash Island Water Park will reopen March 28 wi= th former park Executive Vice President Bill Sims, now president of CG MGMT,LL= C, leading the management team.

The announcement was made Tuesday during what Rick Dantzler, the attorney representing attraction owners Brian Philpot and Rob Harper, calle= d, "the last-ever press conference about the reopening of Cypress Gardens forever."

Dantzler was hired in November by Philpot and Harper to provide legal and consultation services.

"He has deep roots in Polk County," Dantzler said of Sims,= who now lives in Orlando but plans to spend a great deal of his time in Winter Haven.

Sims worked at Cypress Gardens from 1970 to 1985, working his way up= to executive vice president before he went to Ocala's Silver Springs. He has l= ed management teams at Silver Springs and Weeki Wachee Springs in Spring Hill. During his years at Cypress Gardens, he worked directly with the attraction= 's founder, Dick Pope Sr. Pope and his wife, Julie, opened the Gardens in 1936= .

"He has experience in all areas of tourism," Dantzler said= .

Dantzler said Sims' connections to the Cypress Gardens and his understanding of its history are "just what the park needs right now."

For Sims, these connections are partly what lured him back to Cypress Gardens. Business potential is the other reason.

"This is a very special day for me. It brings back a great deal= of memories for me - this is where I cut my teeth with a great industry," Sims said, referring to his return to Cypress Gardens.

"The park can be very viable (to me) as a businessman," Si= ms added.

He describes the reopening as a rebirth, with a focus on the topiary= and botanical gardens; the water park, Splash Island; water ski shows and speci= al events, which include a concert series and flower festivals. The electric b= oat rides also are returning.

"What's important to me and is important to the owners is value," Sims said.

While returning the botanical and topiary gardens to their former splendor and making upgrades to Splash Island, Sims said lowering admission prices approximately 40 percent from the 2008 prices will provide added val= ue. When Cypress Gardens closed in November, tickets cost $39.95 for adults. A = 40 percent reduction would make the new price approximately $23.97, or $15.98 = less than last year's cost.

Sims said season passes will be available for purchase on Sunday. Th= ose who currently hold season passes will be granted a four-month extension.

When the attraction opens in March, there will be two admission gate= s - one for the botanical gardens and another for Splash Island. Visitors will = have the option of purchasing tickets for the gardens or the water park in addit= ion to a combination admission to both areas.

Splash Island will be open seasonally during the warmer months, Sims said, while the topiary and botanical gardens will be available year round.=

Splash Island will feature new slides - also called rides - next sea= son, and upgrades are currently in progress.

"That's important to the water park industry," Sims said. "Every two years you need to add new rides."

Sims said the management team is looking into various ways to bring customers back to the park. In addition to dropping prices, the ideas inclu= de offering special events each season, bringing back live concerts and moving= the parking lot to its original location, which is closer to the entrance and requires a shorter walking distance.

Plans to create a museum dedicated to Cypress Gardens founders Dick = and Julie Pope are moving forward, although Sims said it won't open for another year or so.

There's more than enough material available," said Sims, adding that it will take time to create the proper facility to display it.

Sims also plans to bring back a Sunday morning inspirational show mu= ch like "Day of Discovery," which was televised from Cypress Gardens years ago.

Harper and Philpot shocked the community when they announced the tem= porary closing of Cypress Gardens in November. Many questions were raised about the future of employees, animals and amusement rides.

According to Sims, the management team is in the process of determin= ing the staffing needs and contacting former employees who are eligible for reh= ire. The park employed 15 salaried employees and 200 hourly employees when it cl= osed in November.

Dantzler said all of the animals have been relocated to one of two Florida zoos - Croc Encounters in Tampa or Dade City Wild Things.

And while roller coasters are still visible from the road, they won'= t be there long. Like all of the carnival rides, the coasters are for sale. Fourt= een of the 38 rides have already been sold.

Mark Jackson, executive director of Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, sa= id the reopening of Cypress Gardens will provide millions of dollars in econom= ic impact to the county.

"Cypress Gardens and Polk County are partners in Florida's first theme park," Jackson said. "When Cypress Gardens is successful, Polk County is successful and Polk County tourism is successful."

Cypress Gardens changed hands several times between 1985, when it was sold by the P= ope family to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, and 2004, when it was purchased by Kent Buescher. The county controls the 30 acres of botanical gardens and the sta= te holds a conservatorship over the rest. This arrangement was made in 2004, w= hen the state and county facilitated the $7 million sale of the property from developer Larry Maxwell to Buescher. This was arranged through a national nonprofit conservation organization, the Trust for Public Land in an effort= to preserve the original gardens.

Harper and Philpot - through their business Land South Holdings - purchased the property in October 2007 in a bankruptcy auction.

"Cypress Gardens enhances the quality of life and it increases the quantity and velo= city of money in the county," Jackson said.