Two local contractors say Busch Gardens and its parent company, United Parks & Resorts, have failed to pay more than $3.1 million for the construction of a new attraction, according to liens filed in Hillsborough County last month.
Local construction company Friedrich Watkins of Tampa LLC, alleged that Busch Gardens failed to pay more than $3 million for demolition services and construction of a new attraction, which concluded in September.
Another claim comes from Ohio-based Adena Corporation, which operates in Lakeland. The contractor alleges Busch Gardens failed to pay over $100,000 for ride erection services that wrapped up in August.
The theme park’s newest coaster, Phoenix Rising, opened to riders July 21. Busch Gardens’ oldest coaster, Scorpion, closed Sept. 8. The filings don’t mention which new attraction the contractors are missing payments for.
Both contractors declined to comment on the filings. The companies have each helped build other rides at Busch Gardens, per projects listed on their websites.
Busch Gardens has faced a slew of liens in the past, including from Friedrich Watkins. That contractor was one of seven that filed a total of 24 liens from March to June 2020 for bills that came due during the pandemic. Then, Busch Gardens faced more than $2.5 million in liens. Its parent company, previously dubbed Seaworld Parks & Entertainment, acknowledged that vendors faced “delayed payments.”
The company, which also owns Adventure Island and Orlando’s SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove, changed its name to United Parks & Resorts in early 2024.
Dennis Spiegel, CEO of International Theme Park Services, suspects there may be more at play than delayed payments now. He said it’s likely that there is a contractual dispute between Busch Gardens and the contractors over the work they performed.
“A company like Busch, they certainly pay their bills, and they have the wherewithal to do that,” he said. “Typically they’re holding back because the job hasn’t been done correctly and something wasn’t done appropriately. It’s hard to tell what that might be at this point.”
United Parks & Resorts did not respond to requests for comment for story by the time of publication.