LOWRY PARK ZOO AUDIT 09-01 March 20, 2009 LOWRY PARK ZOO AUDIT 09-01 INTRODUCTION The City first learned of the Zoo’s CEO’s for-profit venture through media accounts. This obvious conflict of interest, reports of animal transactions between the Zoo CEO and his for-profit venture, as well as expenditures by the Zoo on Safari Wild property led to inquiries by the City. When the Zoo President maintained there was no conflict of interest and failed to acknowledge that the City owned the Zoo animals, the City embarked on this audit. Tampa's Lowry Park Zoological Gardens n/k/a Lowry Park Zoo (Zoo), situated on land owned by the City of Tampa, is operated by the Lowry Park Zoological Society (Society), under a lease and operation agreement with the City of Tampa. The Society operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization and provides programs in education and conservation to benefit the general public. The lease and operation agreement with the City states that the real property shall remain the property of the City and all future real or personal property donations shall become the sole property of the City. The agreement continues that the animals, as of the date of the agreement, will be leased to the Society and “the progeny of these animals and any animals acquired . . . shall become and remain assets of the City.” In the agreement, the City requires the animal collection to be ...
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