Gabrielle Russon
SeaWorld is being sued for $76,000 over unpaid invoices for rental towels and mats.
The Ohio-based Cintas Corp. filed the lawsuit in Orange Circuit Court earlier this month.
Cintas accused the Orlando-headquartered theme park company of failing to pay for the rented towels and mats after signing a contract in October 2019 and then again on March 12, 2020.
“Contrary to the contract entered into between Cintas and Defendants, Defendants have failed and refused to make payment due Cintas and have failed further to honor their obligations under the contract,” Cintas, which is seeking interest, said in the lawsuit. “Defendants’ refusal to satisfy the debt due and owing and failure to otherwise honor their obligations under the contract are clear and unequivocal breaches of the contract.”
Cintas and SeaWorld signed the latest contract in 2020, just before SeaWorld’s theme parks shut down during the pandemic crisis, and the company furloughed or permanently laid off most employees.
During the pandemic, SeaWorld notoriously fell behind on its bills.
Several construction companies filed liens against SeaWorld for millions of dollars by the Summer of 2020.
The company vowed to catch up.
“We thank our vendors for their partnership, understanding and patience during this unprecedented time. As we re-open our parks and begin to generate revenue again we are working with our vendors to complete all outstanding payments,” SeaWorld Orlando spokeswoman Lori Cherry said in a statement in 2020.
In November of that year, during an earnings call, SeaWorld said it owed $70 million in deferred bills and expected to pay them off by April 2021.
For this story, SeaWorld did not respond for comment or to a question if the allegedly unpaid Cintas bill was tied to the previously unpaid invoices from the pandemic. The attorney representing Cintas also did not respond for a request for comment.
Post-pandemic, SeaWorld, which rebranded itself to United Parks & Resorts, has been steadily rebounding with its attendance and opening new rides. The company is scheduled to release its latest earnings report next week.
In a July 29 news release, the company released its preliminary results, which showed attendance of about 6.2 million guests for the second quarter ending June 30. This was a slight improvement compared to 6.1 million visitors during the same time period in 2023.
