TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa animal sanctuary featured in a major Netflix documentary is now up for sale.
Big Cat Rescue, which was featured in the 2020 hit "Tiger King," finalized the sale of 56 of its 67 acres on Dec. 24, 2024.
Sharon Leverett lived next to the Big Cat Rescue for years and says after the Tiger King series on Netflix blew up, it became a tourist attraction around here.
“People would come up out of their cars and take pictures by the cat statue they had there,” said Leverett.
According to Howard Baskin, husband of Carole Baskin, the site is being planned for townhome construction. The remaining 11 acres will be finalized in the coming weeks, which will be used for apartments.
Howard said the money from the sales will finance wild cat preservation efforts globally.
And what about those lions and tigers (no bears) we saw on our TV screens nearly five years ago? They were relocated from Tampa to a facility in Arkansas in December 2023, which will provide more living space for the cats.
While the documentary garnered popularity online, Carole was not interested in making a sequel. In 2021, she went before a judge to stop the release of a potential "Tiger King 2," but was ultimately denied.
Boos Development acquired the land and said this about the sale:
"Boos Development Group (“Boos”) is pleased to announce that Boos-Big Cat, LLC, an entity of Clearwater, FL-based Boos, closed on approximately 54 acres of property in late December 2024. The property was formerly the well-known “Big Cat Rescue” in the Citrus Park area of Hillsborough County just west of Veterans Expressway. Boos is finalizing all remaining permitting and entitlements and expects development work to begin in the next several months, with vertical construction to follow in early calendar 2026. Boos is developing this project for D.R. Horton, America’s Builder, who plans to build 228 for-sale townhomes. Boos is excited about its ongoing collaboration as a key land developer for D.R. Horton in Florida."
Howard Baskin released this statement about the sale:
While there is certainly some wistfulness, it was an easy decision because it is a win-win both for our captive cats and those in the wild. By moving our cats to Turpentine Creek in Arkansas who have over 400 acres we were able to build much larger enclosures for them there than we could provide here. The proceeds from the sale will be used to significantly expand our funding of projects around the world focused on keeping the wild cats from extinction. We will remain in Tampa managing the funding of those projects.
The series included a lot of rumors and speculation about what happened to her first husband, Don Lewis, who disappeared in 1997.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office told us in the past, Baskin refused requests to interview her about the case, and they were also unable to search the property.
I am waiting to hear back from investigators with an update on the case.
A Hardee County grandmother is on trial this week for leaving her 7-month-old granddaughter in a hot car where the baby died —the second grandchild to die under Tracey Nix's care. ABC Action News I-Team Reporter Kylie McGivern sat down with Kaila Nix just days ahead of her mother's trial for aggravated manslaughter.
