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Brandland, I don't think you're seeing the big picture. Sure, the older folks like the ski show and the botanical gardens. But the park must generate revenue in order to survive in ANY form. You don't get broad support from the community for those elements (or the waterpark) alone. If anybody could, Busch would have. They didn't.

What Kent Buescher did for Cypress Gardens was turn it into a regional attraction, attracting not the guests of the big Orlando theme parks, but locals. Not just Polk County locals, but local Floridians who prefer a family atmosphere with short lines and less hype. The same way a small restaurant or bar attracts locals, while the tourists all go to Outback or Carrabbas. That was a sustainable model, although Kent surely did have some missteps. I've had passes to Cypress for my entire family (total 5) every year since Kent opened with the rides, and we live in Sarasota. We made bi-monthly trips to Cypress Gardens ever since, and spent plenty of money in the park each time to ensure that we supported our local park. I guarantee you that now we won't be back ever, because there is nothing left for us. You've seen the ski show and the gardens once, you don't feel the need to go there again. The interest from the locals evaporates, and you're not located in a place that you're going to really get tourist traffic even with all those expensive billboards.

Nobody but the seniors appreciates what is being saved of Cypress Gardens. The seniors don't have the attendance numbers or the money to keep the park viable. It's as simple as that. Make no mistake; this is the end of Cypress Gardens. I bet it doesn't make it to summer 2009.

What's really going on here is that Buescher spent over 80 million dollars on the rides and items that are being removed. LandSouth paid 16 million for the whole park. Those lawyers that bought the place are cashing out, plain and simple. The water park can't be sold ala carte like the rides, so it either operates or is destroyed. They're getting their money back probably doubled from the sale of the rides, and Florida's first theme park (and the historic Starliner) will be gone forever because of their greed. We may never know whether they really thought that Baker Leisure Group could manage the park, but Baker's client list seems to be a who's-who of failed attractions, and their single largest effort seems to be the "Unexpected" billboards along I-4. So they read Lee Iacocca's book and know that he used that line to sell the K-Car as he was reviving Chrysler. Theme park experts that does not make, and they certainly seem to have run the park into the ground in record time. Suddenly all the concerts dried up, then closing during the week, then not open for Christmas, and now this. They clearly did not give this a chance, despite their statements to the contrary. What a very sad adventure this has been.