Saddlebrook Resort’s Story
Thomas L. Dempsey, then Chairman and CEO of Penton Publishing, a subsidiary of the Fortune 500 Pittway Corporation, developed Saddlebrook Resort after Pittway purchased the 480-acre property in 1979. Dempsey envisioned a resort that would allow guests to experience a side of Florida many had never seen, an abundant wildlife that thrives thanks to the preservation of the surrounding lakes and woodlands. The resort itself is located within a gated and secure nature preserve that is home to colorful birds such as sandhill cranes, wood storks and great blue herons – and a few gators – that make their home in the verdant vegetation that exists in harmony with the natural layout of the hotel grounds.