Amid Financial Worries, Florida Theme Park Accused of Failing To Pay Its Contractors

Last month, when United Parks and Resorts announced its third-quarter earnings, there was some bad news for investors. The parent company of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and SeaWorld Orlando saw a 1.4 percent decline in attendance, which led to a drop in overall revenue.

The drop in attendance and revenue led to a 3.1 percent decline in net income. These declines for United Parks and Resorts come at a particularly bad time as its parks face increased competition in Central Florida and across the country.

However, Busch Garden’s financial woes are starting to become apparent. According to liens filed in Hillsborough County, the company is being accused of failing to pay two Tampa-area contractors more than $3.1 million for the construction of a new attraction.

Construction company Friedrich Watkins alleges that United Parks failed to pay them $3 million for demolition services and construction of a new attraction. It is unclear what attraction Friedrich Watkins worked on at Busch Gardens.

A second company, Adena Corporation, claims that Busch Gardens owes them more than $100,000 for ride erection services in August. Busch Gardens Tampa opened Phoenix Rising in July and closed Scorpion in September, so it’s unclear which ride the company worked on.

It was a rough start to the 2024 summer season for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. In late June, the park made news for a violent brawl that online organizers called a “takeover” of the park.

After that incident, the organizers of the first event planned similar “takeovers’ on the Fourth of July weekend, but Busch Gardens made several security changes that kept guests safe.

Some guests reported seeing someone with a weapon in the park as part of the takeover. Since then, Busch Gardens has worked with Tampa Police and their security staff to change how people enter the park, and they removed a fence that was used to sneak banned items into the theme park.

However, Busch Gardens rebounded nicely by opening the new family coast, Phoenix Rising, and announcing that its roller coaster Scorpion would be closing to make way for a new coaster.

The company was recently dealt another blow when a jury awarded a family $5 million after their child suffered “lifelong injuries” while attending one of Busch Garden’s Halloween events.

It is unclear when this situation will be resolved.