January 7, 2009

Dear Mayor Iorio and City Councilpersons,

(Copied to Jim Beamguard, Tampa Tribune for publication)

I read in today's Tampa Tribune with great dismay that there is a push to increase alcohol sales areas at our Lowry Park Zoo.

For many years now, alcohol sales have been a part of Lowry Park zoo which is part of our city parks system where we have rules against alcohol use. Because we are a partnership, our city leaders buckled and allowed it. You have let the public down.

When adults use alcohol, we are saying with our actions to our children that it is okay to entertain ourselves with drugs (no one denies that alcohol is a drug) while we recreate in public.

So please, if you all do not have the guts to say no to alcohol, period, at our zoo, do not advocate for kids to be drug free.

Our actions teach them the opposite.

Please oppose the use of alcohol and its sale at our taxpayer supported zoo.

Thank you.

I won't go to this zoo for this reason. I have a co-worker who looks forward to the zoo-beer bash or whatever it called, ever year. It's a hypocrisy of course and full out front in the public eye too. I'm just dumbfounded with it all. Where's the leadership we need here. I can only think that Pepin is a contributor to all this.

On the other hand though, you can't blame them. Alcohol brings in the money. But, like you stated in your original post, it says something completely different to our youth.

Just an update here. I went to the zoo this past week and they only have the 'lite' beers. Six percent alcohol I was told. I didn't check the label on the two cans of Coors Lite I bought and drank. For one thing, you really have to want to spend $6.50 for a beer, a lite beer at that. I was thirsty and I wanted a little buzz. The buzz was barely noticeable I have to tell you but I enjoyed quenching my thirst that night while walking around and looking at all the Christmas lighting and displays. I think it has been over 35 years since I have been at this zoo. I can say I really enjoyed it and it has changed an awful lot. I must go back during the day now and get the full scope of it just to see how different it really is. I have to tell you that there wasn't a lot of people there the other night. Maybe because it was a week night? That's my update!

Thank you for your comment.    Hopefully our new adminstration will look at this issue and eliminate legal drugs like alcohol from being sold at our zoo this year in 2022.   Let's everyone for common sense and decency call or write letters and emails to our city council members and our new mayor Jane Castor and help them think this through.  They do listen to people that vote in the elections.