1980s-2000s: The Death of the Roadside Attraction

ABC sold Weeki Wachee and Silver Springs to Florida Leisure Attractions, Inc. in 1984 for $25 million dollars ($63.4 million adjusted for inflation).[1] In 1989, the company restructured by selling Weeki Wachee and Silver Springs to investors for $21.5 million (over $45 million adjusted for inflation).[2] In 1999, Florida Leisure sold Weeki Wachee Springs to local investors, Weeki Wachee Springs Company, for $1.5 million dollars (slightly over $2 million when adjusted for inflation). Among the investors were former mermaids. [3] In 2003, when the property leaseholders presented the company with an extensive list of needed repairs, Weeki Wachee Co. donated the attraction to the City of Weeki Wachee. [4] From 2003 to 2008,, the city and the leaseholders battled in court over the viability of the attraction. During this period, Weeki Wachee Springs launched the "Save Our Tails" fundraiser to fund the structural repairs identified by the leaseholders. In November 2008, shortly after the celebration of the park's 60th anniversary, Weeki Wachee Springs became a state park. [5] The state completed many of the necessary renovations and planned an overhaul of the entire attraction thanks to the help of the organization Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.  In 2020, Governor Ron Desantis signed legislation dissolving the City of Weeki Wachee. Founded by ABC in 1966, the city numbered only 13 residents and was insolvent. The action had no effect on the attraction and Weeki Wachee State park continues to draw thousands of visitors each year from all over the world.[6]