Lost Lagoon developers to submit new E. Manatee water park proposal

Developers who previously submitted a proposal to Manatee County for a proposed water park, plan to submit another proposal.

After negotiating with Manatee Lost Lagoon Development LLLP of Orlando to construct a water park at Tom Bennett Park in East Manatee, the county has issued another request for proposal for an aquatic and recreation complex. It includes the possibility of onsite lodging, which was requested by the developers of Lost Lagoon.

Manatee County Commission voted in February to issue another RFP to include an accessory lodging component.

“The main reason we are going to the new RFP is to be able to add lodging to the site because it is very important,” Caleb Grimes, who represents Lost Lagoon Development, said Thursday. “The negotiations were going very well. It wasn’t a problem between the county and them. Everybody recognized the need to have the lodging so that meant going back to the RFP.”

Proposals must be submitted by 4 p.m. June 1. As of Thursday afternoon, the county has yet to receive any proposals, according to county spokesman Nick Azzara.

“There is clearly a need for this kind of venue,” said William Gridley, spokesman for Lost Lagoon. “There is a need for this kind of destination. The opportunity to go in and work with a county directly with a project like this lets us know that we have a project that has the best interest of people in Manatee at heart.”

In its first proposal, Lost Lagoon proposed more than a dozen rides, including a ropes course, wave pool, lazy rivers and a number of slides on the 20 acres at Bennett Park, 400 Cypress Creek Blvd.

Commissioners could still decide against a lodging unit at the water park, the County Attorney’s Office told the commission in February. The commission also would have to approve the contract with the selected water park developer.

“The objective is to offer a first-class recreational amenity to the community and to promote tourism through the provision of a destination, which attracts families, teens and youth, and to establish a venue that will positively and sustainably affect the area’s economic growth and complement other developing programs in the county,” according to the RFP.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Lost Lagoon developers to submit new E. Manatee water park proposal."