Busch Gardens Tampa lays off 948 workers
September 24, 2020 - Temporary furloughs have turned into permanent layoffs for 948 workers at Busch Gardens Tampa. Busch Gardens Tampa President Stewart Clark cited the "significant and sustained impact" of the Covid-19 pandemic for the job action, in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice sent to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Parent company SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment closed all its parks on March 16 and temporarily furloughed the vast majority of its workforce on April 1. Florida parks reopened with a reduced operating schedule and guest capacity in June, but attendance has been impacted by self-imposed limitations, consumer concerns regarding Covid and other factors, Clark said. "It is difficult to predict when business will return to pre-Covid-19 levels," Clark said. The affected employees were notified Sept. 4, the same day Clark sent the WARN to the state, but it was not made public until Thursday afternoon.