Water Managers: Zoo president ignored environmental regulations

TAMPA -- Lowry Park Zoo president Lex Salisbury could face tens of thousands of dollars in fines after water managers say he never applied for necessary environmental permits in constructing Safari Wild, his for-profit exotic animal attraction in Polk County.

Robyn Felix, spokeswoman for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, says Salisbury and his business partner, St. Petersburg veterinarian Stephan Wehrmann, ignored environmental regulations in 13 areas of the 258-acre site.

Remember those 15 patas monkeys that escaped from an one-acre island in Safari Wild last March? Salisbury and Wehrmann dredged a moat to create that island. That's violation #10.

Other violations include:

- Fences built through wetlands that removed vegetation and added 18-inches of fill material. Water officials say the fill obstructs surface waters. They say the same for a half-acre parking lot, a rhino pen and a giraffe pen.

-Large pipes replaced at road crossings that may impact upstream and downstream property owners.

- Structures creating impervious surfaces, including a covered hay barn, office building, visitor welcome center, caged monkey building and horse stable.

All new construction projects need to apply for environmental permits, Felix said. They protect wetlands, prevent flooding and examine stormwater runoff patterns.

The Safari Wild owners told water managers they didn't think they needed the permits, that they were exempt for agricultural reasons. Felix said they were told that was incorrect, and that they were in violation. She said they still continued their construction.

Water managers will work for the next couple of weeks to present the owners with fines for each of the 13 violations. Each fine could amount to a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, Felix said. Owners will get the chance to negotiate the fines before they go before a 13-member board for approval.

Safari Wild continues to be the focus of a Tampa audit commissioned by Mayor Pam Iorio. City auditors have spent the past two months combing private transactions between Salisbury and the zoo for conflicts of interest.

Salisbury remains on a paid leave of absence.

-- Alexandra Zayas can be reached at azayas@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3354.

[Photo: Joseph Garnett, Jr., Times files]