ZooTampa could receive up to $75 million from Hillsborough County over the next 15 years under a deal commissioners will consider Wednesday to help fund a $150 million expansion and renovation program at Lowry Park, even as five other Tampa cultural institutions seek another $90 million from the county for projects of their own.
The proposed agreement would pair each county dollar with a ZooTampa dollar through 2041, putting money toward new animal habitats, a family coaster, aging infrastructure and two major phases of a South America expansion. ZooTampa would match the county’s $75 million through an annual endowment gift, operating surpluses and future fundraising.
Wednesday’s vote comes five months after commissioners voted 6-0 to begin negotiations with ZooTampa and told county staff to pursue a dollar-for-dollar match. The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Florida Aquarium, Tampa Bay History Center, Glazer Children’s Museum and Tampa Theatre have since asked Hillsborough for a combined $90 million, bringing the total sought by the six institutions to $165 million.
The Straz Center wants $40 million over eight years to replace electrical and life-safety systems, upgrade HVAC equipment, harden the performing-arts complex against hurricanes and improve accessibility and public spaces. The Florida Aquarium is seeking $30 million over 10 years, including $16 million to close the remaining gap in its Sea Change expansion, along with money to restore its dome and wetlands exhibit and refurbish the shark habitat.
The Tampa Bay History Center wants $10 million for a new Water Street entrance and portico, changes to the Lykes Atrium and museum store and upgrades to outdoor areas, security and building systems. Glazer Children’s Museum is seeking $8 million over three years for renovations, accessibility and new or upgraded visitor experiences, while Tampa Theatre wants $2 million to restore the Duncan Auditorium, modernize plumbing and HVAC and add a two-story wing along Florida Avenue.
The $86 million, two-phase South America redevelopment would take more than half of ZooTampa’s $150 million program, followed by $20 million for Asia, $6 million for an elephant and mixed-species project and $5 million for an Australia family coaster. Another $30 million would cover nuts-and-bolts capital work such as roofs, HVAC, fencing, lighting, restrooms and animal-support buildings, with another $3 million set aside for planning and design.
The work would unfold at ZooTampa, the 68-acre Lowry Park attraction that draws about 1.2 million visitors a year and says roughly half come from outside the area. The zoo, which has occupied the western side of Lowry Park since 1957, is also pursuing a lease for another 13 acres from the City of Tampa, although county documents do not assign specific projects in the $150 million program to that additional land.
If commissioners approve the agreement, Hillsborough would not hand ZooTampa $75 million upfront. County money would be released as eligible work moves forward and remain subject to annual funding, while commissioners could allow as much as $10 million in an individual year without raising the overall $75 million cap.
County staff identified the renewed half-cent Community Investment Tax, Hillsborough’s long-term capital sales tax, as the most viable source for the county’s share. The tax takes effect Dec. 1, and its 2024 spending framework put $545 million of an estimated $597 million in planned public-facilities money under the broader community-facilities category.
The other five requests are not part of Wednesday’s ZooTampa vote, and Hillsborough has not committed money to them. County staff said the institutions have not gone through a standardized evaluation process, leaving their combined $90 million in requests unresolved.