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Yes that’s right LEGOLAND® is coming to Florida. As mention and reported from
different websites. News was leaked Wednesday afternoon in e-mails that the
former home of Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven, Florida has been
purchased and will soon undergo restructuring to become the second LEGOLAND in
the United States. Merlin Entertainments will open their second U.S. LEGOLAND
Park in Winter Haven on the Cypress Gardens property.
From ‘The Ledger’ website Jan. 20, 2010:
LEGOLAND is coming to Polk County. Word leaked out Wednesday in an e-mail from a
county tourism official to county commissioners in advance of Thursday’s
scheduled press conference at Cypress Gardens.
Merlin Entertainments Group purchased the Winter Haven theme park earlier this
month. Merlin, the world’s second-largest owner of tourist atttractions,
currently operates four LEGOLAND parks, three in Europle and one in California.
The company will transform Cypress Gardens into LEGOLAND Florida, Polk County’s
director of tourism and sports marketing disclosed in his memo Tuesday to county
commissioners invited to Thursday’s announcement by the company. All e-mails to
county commissioners are available under Florida’s public-records laws.
Mark Jackson’s e-mail, marked “confidential until Thursday,” contained suggested
talking points for local officials. Jackson’s memo emphasized Merlin’s stature
in the tourism market and the commercial success of LEGOLAND California.
A spokeswoman from Merlin Entertainments Group last Friday confirmed the
acquisition of Cypress Gardens but offered no details on the company’s plans,
saying more would be revealed at Thursday’s news conference. The Ledger had
learned of the purchase through documents filed with the Polk County Clerk of
the Courts. Those records indicated a sale price of $22.3 million.
Merlin’s announcement Friday followed months of speculation that the company was
negotiating with the owners, Brian Philpot and Rob Harper of Mulberry’s Land
South Holdings.
A Merlin spokeswoman said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist would join Merlin CEO Nick
Varney at Thursday’s press conference, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (EST) Jackson’s
memo said many other politicians are scheduled to attend, including Florida’s
Senate President Mike Haridopolos; state Speaker of the House Dean Cannon; and
Congressman Adam Putnam, R-Bartow.
In his memo, Jackson urged officials at the press conference to be positive in
talking to media members. “Please avoid any comments about past ownership and/or
problems at the park,” Jackson wrote.
Cypress Gardens, one of Florida’s oldest existing tourist attractions, evolved
from water-skiing shows staged by Dick and Julie Pope in the 1930s. Once among
the state’s dominant tourism draws, it was eclipsed in recent decades by Walt
Disney World and other Orlando-area theme parks and has been in financial
distress for years. Cypress Gardens has gone through several changes of owners
since the 1980s. Philpot and Harper acquired the park at a bankruptcy auction in
2007.
Current parks:
LEGOLAND Billund open in 1968
LEGOLAND Windsor open in 1996
LEGOLAND California open in 1999
LEGOLAND Deutschland open in 2002
Future parks:
LEGOLAND Malaysia (plan to open in 2012)
LEGOLAND Dubailand (plan to open in 2015)
LEGOLAND Florida (plan to open n/a)
Blackrock’s Merlin Entertainments Group
Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) A Private Equity firm.
Merlin Entertainments Group holds a 70% in LEGOLAND and the LEGO Group holds a
30% stake.
theledger.com News about the park mention on Jan. 15, 2010.
theledger.com News about the park mention on Jan. 20, 2010.
Other News sources:
Fool.com
winterhavenfl.com
miamiherald.com
-end of report-
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