Sanford approves zoo ticket purchase as sloth controversy continues

Sanford city commissioners voted to buy 82 student tickets to the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, steering clear of a direct donation and instead sending children to the zoo on a summer camp visit. The roughly $1,500 purchase, approved at Monday’s commission meeting, was paid from Mayor Art Woodruff’s and Commissioner Claudia Thomas’ discretionary funds.

The move was framed as a compromise after weeks of public attention on Sloth World, the now-shuttered venture tied to dozens of sloth deaths. Commissioners said they wanted to help the Central Florida Zoo, which is caring for surviving sloths, while avoiding any appearance that city taxpayers were being used for a straight contribution to an outside organization. In practical terms, the zoo gets immediate revenue, and Sanford children get an outing that officials can point to as a community benefit.

That balance mattered because the Sanford City Commission is a five-member governing body, with a citywide elected mayor and four district commissioners. Any spending tied to a controversy of this size was likely to face scrutiny, especially with the city trying to show support without inviting criticism over public money. Thomas said she felt the city had an obligation to step up if others were helping, while Woodruff said the ticket plan gives the zoo revenue and local kids a meaningful experience.

The backdrop remains grim. The Central Florida Zoo said it accepted 13 two-toed sloths from Sloth World on April 24, including Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths and Linnaeus’s two-toed sloths, and said the animals arrived in critical condition and needed specialized care right away. On May 3, the zoo announced the death of Habanero, one of the adult males, and later said necropsy findings for Bandit pointed to severe emaciation and effusions as the primary causes of death. The zoo now has 10 surviving sloths in its care, while 55 sloths tied to the failed venture have died.

The controversy has also drawn wider law-enforcement and political attention. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and Florida leaders and animal rights groups have called for accountability and reform. State Rep. Anna Eskamani described the situation as “willful neglect,” and Sanford Main Street has already launched its own response, a shirt fundraiser with the slogan “Help Us Hang In There” to support the zoo’s sloth rescue efforts.