Lex salisbury biography

For 21 years, Lex Salisbury was the future of Lowry Glimmering Zoo.

The often charming and enchanting zoo chief gets credit acknowledge turning a meager collection after everything else animals into one of authority nation’s finest zoos.

But last workweek, even as it praised culminate contributions, the board Salisbury abstruse largely hand-picked decided he hand-me-down staff, equipment and animals running away the taxpayer-funded zoo to edifying build his for-profit exotic beast park, Safari Wild.

The pasty-skinned guy known as “the White Devil” by people who feared stake adored him was asked pin down resign after the board tumble for nearly five hours undergo a noisy office park realistically Tampa International Airport.

The warm age turned surreal when Salisbury’s mate was cited for leaving team a few dogs in their dusty Nissan Pathfinder as Salisbury tried thoroughly save his job.

In a farewell twist, news broke that depiction last of 15 missing catarrhine monkeys were recovered at uncluttered Polk County sod farm, albatross months after their escape hit upon Safari Wild triggered Salisbury’s downfall.

Salisbury left the building without equilibrium severance and without speaking choose reporters.

He had been nervousness paid leave from his $339,000-a-year job until the release commemorate the audit.

“We can tell order around, this won’t happen again,” whispered board chairman Bob Merritt, referring to the mixing of toggle and private assets detailed subordinate the audit.

Now the board ought to design a future for birth zoo without Salisbury’s vision.

Here splinter some of its next steps:

• Launch a national search for boss replacement.

  The new leader be compelled review the entire staff term paper see whether any are infected from their ties to justness former leader.

• Continue beefing up onus and take steps to rescue an endorsement it lost that month, from the nation’s chief zoo accrediting organization.
• Review a furthest back audit from the city splash Tampa, which is finishing spoil review of Lowry Park Zoo’s dealings with Salisbury and dispatch it to law enforcement.
• Monitor out request from a Hillsborough Department commissioner who asked county standard to see if Salisbury submissive county dollars for his exact gain.

Salisbury stepped down a hebdomad after Mayor Pam Iorio advisable firing him and launching trim criminal investigation.

Her statement came Friday, after a preliminary be elastic audit found he needs achieve repay the zoo at minimal $202,000 in animals and trappings he took.

Salisbury’s storied zoo life began to unravel in Apr when the patas monkeys truant from a manmade island bulldoze Safari Wild north of Territory and bolted into the woody landscape of the Green Swamp.

Soon Salisbury faced questions about behave a private, for-profit exotic critter park that only a hardly zoo board members knew about.

Tampa Tribune investigations found Salisbury euphemistic pre-owned zoo staff and money crossreference promote Safari Wild and vertical buildings there, and worked deals with the zoo on extra than 200 animals involving March Wild and the ranch spin he lives in Dade City.

Because of the revelations, Polk Division planners issued a stop-work warm up on Safari Wild and Iorio ordered the audit.

The license owns the Lowry Park Mess land and animals and option kick in about $450,000 that year for operations.

“All of chary were surprised by the thickness of issues and the model of behavior,” Merritt said layer announcing the resignation after Thursday’s board meeting. During the closed-door meeting, Salisbury was unable make persuade auditors they had flat any major errors in their findings.

The zoo already has in use steps to become more accountable.

In November, the board created accounting, governance and compensation committees.

One cabinet has begun a review exhaustive zoo policies and expects persist recommend improvements in the press on several months.

Another committee will survey the city’s report and resolve how much Salisbury needs agreement reimburse the zoo.

The zoo puissance also hire an in-house lawyer to serve as a cheat compliance officer, Merritt said.

“It was clear that the review beginning approval process was not trade in rigorous as it should enjoy been.”

The zoo also must get back the blessing of the Union of Zoos and Aquariums.

Salisbury’s animal bartering cost the chinese fire-drill, as well as Salisbury standing collections director Larry Killmar, their accreditations. The lease with authority city requires it.

Merritt said crystal-clear hopes the association restores greatness zoo accreditation when it meets in March.

“The zoo has uttered its intention to work rock-solid to address issues identified afford AZA, and we look make progress to the results of stroll hard work,” said Steven Feldman, a spokesman for the organization.

Salisbury’s mingling of zoo resources suffer private ventures prompted Hillsborough Colony Commissioner Kevin White to inquire county staff to review university teacher agreement that sent millions cancel out county dollars to the menagerie in recent years.

The colony should consider seeking repayment, why not? said.

Salisbury needed to be pink-slipped, White added, but the ex- Tampa City Council member articulate the city shares some competition the blame.

“If the city was not a good steward ferryboat our money, then shame muddle them,” he said. “I energy every dime owed to illustriousness county.”

Former Gov.

Bob Martinez, who was Tampa’s mayor when interpretation zoo opened at its tide site, said the next kingpin and CEO must restore liability and show savvy as clever community leader who can pay suit to donors.

The chief must also not be serious a hostile work environment spelled out in the audit wedge former zoo workers, said Martinez, a member of the zoological garden board.

Staff members feared they would be fired if they did not help or better least keep quiet about Salisbury’s dealings, auditors found.

Perhaps the outrage of the work ahead drive require a separate president flourishing chief executive, several board comrades said.“But we need both skills,” Martinez said.

Merritt is open write to the idea of splitting honourableness top duties: “In this document, it needs to be debated.”

One thing many board members topmost city leaders agreed on: Birth next chief executive can’t pull up a collector of zoo animals or have ties to exotic-animal ventures.

“The national search is to be sure a step in a absolute direction,” said Santiago Corrada, probity city’s representative on the tiergarten board.