Everglades Wonder Gardens began working toward a new leasing agreement with the city of Bonita Springs during a joint workshop Wednesday.
The gardens were built in 1942 and received a historical designation from the city in 2017. The nonprofit has been operating the zoo through a public-private partnership with the city since 2015, when it provided a $3.5 million bridge loan to prevent the Wonder Gardens declaring bankruptcy in exchange for a short-term mortgage.
The gardens were still facing foreclosure in 2018, so the city voted to take ownership of the property and eliminate the mortgage agreement.
“The city did step up eight years ago, recognizing that the Wonder Gardens is important to the community. The Wonder Gardens is important to people,” councilor Chris Corrie said. “[It] is important to our tourism industry and to kids who live in our community and to the students who are interested in veterinary medicine.”
Neil Anderson was hired as executive director of the Wonder Gardens in summer 2022, just before Hurricane Ian swept through the area. The hurricane caused major damage to the attraction, which was already in need of a makeover.
“Quite honestly, when I got here and I looked at the state of a number of different exhibits, the buildings and everything, it was probably a good thing I didn’t come down first before [accepting the position], because maybe I wouldn’t have come back,” Anderson said. “… It needed a lot of work.”
Anderson developed a five-year master plan comprising improvement projects with the goal of earning accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, AZA. There are more than 200 AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums around the country, with seven being self-supporting. The only zoo of those seven without a fund to pull from for improvements is NEW Zoo in Wisconsin where Anderson was previously director.
“We went from a roadside zoo to being AZA accredited five times every five years. We got our 25th-year award just before I had left,” Anderson said. “It’s in great condition right now. It just got accredited again. And it has turned into a regional facility out there.”
The improvement projects are estimated to cost more than $8 million, causing concern among Council members who think they should be briefed on improvements to city-owned land before being fully planned. City Attorney Derek Rooney said there is a history of a lack of communication between the gardens and the city about what improvements have been made, especially since the operating agreement expired in 2021 and was not renewed.
“There were also requirements in the original operating agreement that major capital improvements be reviewed and approved by the City Council, that did not occur,” Rooney said. “There are also requirements in the original operating agreement that the Everglades Water Gardens would permit through our Community Development Department all contracted work on the site, that has not occurred as well.”
Rooney said Anderson isn’t at fault for any previous miscommunication, and it is time for a new agreement.
“What we’d like to do is to basically wipe the slate clean, start with a new understanding of what is the city’s role, what is the Wonder Gardens role, who owns what, who’s responsible for what?” Rooney said. “Because this lack of clarity and the lack of accountability in the prior operators—this has nothing to do with [Anderson]—has led to a ball of yarn that is just going to be very difficult for us to try to work within it and untangle. It’d be better for us to start fresh with a new slate of understandings and a new framework.”
The entire Wonder Gardens board of directors attended the workshop, and Board Chair Donna Flammang said it’s important to enter into a long-term lease agreement for the comfort of their donors.
“No donor is going to give you money if we could get kicked out in six months,” Flammang said. “If we need to be kicked out because we breached the agreement, a material breach, then yeah, but otherwise we need to work together to make it work.”
Councilor Jesse Purdon said Anderson should expect some tension during the process.
“There were a number of issues where there was a lack of transparency, and then when we called it out, there was still a lack of transparency,” Purdon said.
Purdon mentioned the most recent controversy during discussions about the city tearing down the venue’s restaurant building, arguing the organization was overstepping boundaries with its protest, since, at the time, it didn’t have an official agreement with the city. He said projects, such as a planned $2.5 million animal care center, need to be run by the city first.
“I shouldn’t be hearing about us doing an animal hospital in the same presentation that you guys are giving out to raise money when you aren’t in a contract yet,” Purdon said. “We didn’t know anything about the animal hospital. We didn’t approve the animal hospital, not that we wouldn’t, but the point is procedurally how it’s supposed to happen is how it has to happen. A prior regime forgot where they were at the table.”
City staff was directed to work with the Wonder Gardens to draft an operating agreement to be brought forward at a second workshop.
“If we can get into agreement, there has to be checks and balances on not only the financials but everything going on in the building, and it has to be that way,” Purdon said. “If it’s not, that’s not going to work for us.”
