Every update on the Sloth World Orlando story has been worse than the one before, and the latest development changes the entire trajectory of where this case is heading. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier confirmed his office is assisting the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida in a criminal investigation into Sloth World, officially moving the case out of regulatory and civil territory and into criminal probe status.
The attraction that never opened to the public, that is connected to the deaths of more than 31 sloths, that has an expired FWC permit, building code violations, a stop-work order, and a bankruptcy filing, now has the Florida Attorney General involved and a criminal investigation underway.
How the Attorney General Got To Orlando
The FWC's prior civil investigation concluded without a citation or written warning. The agency found the facility compliant with care and housing standards despite dozens of animal deaths and stated there was no legal basis for enforcement action. That conclusion generated immediate and sustained pushback from Representative Anna Eskamani, who had been publicly demanding accountability since the story first broke.
Eskamani's argument was straightforward and difficult to counter. In Florida, you can face criminal charges for fishing in the wrong place or catching too many crabs or oysters. But importing sloths from the wild, placing them in a warehouse without adequate heat or infrastructure, letting dozens of them die, and walking away without a citation apparently does not rise to the same level of legal consequence under the existing framework. That inconsistency became the driving argument for the need for attorney general involvement, and Eskamani pushed for exactly that.
Attorney General Uthmeier confirmed his office will work alongside State Attorney Monique Worrell on the probe. Worrell's office has not commented publicly. The attorney general's letter also confirmed that Sloth World is filing for bankruptcy protection.
What Actually Happened to the Sloths in Orlando
FWC reports identified a combination of factors as likely contributors to the deaths including viral infection, cold exposure, stress during transportation, and the conditions of being housed in a warehouse. The first shipment of 21 sloths from Guyana arrived at a facility that was not ready to receive them. At least one night, the animals were left without heat in cold conditions. Wildlife and disease experts explained that sloths are uniquely vulnerable to exactly this kind of situation. Unlike most mammals, they do not have a strong fight-or-flight response.
They internalize stress instead. Their cortisol levels spike, triggering a cascade of physiological consequences that can end in organ failure. Necropsy reports documented swollen stomachs, ulcerated mouths, damaged spinal cords, organ failure, pneumonia, and, in some cases, the presence of viruses across the animals examined.
Sloth World imported more than 60 wild sloths in total, according to import records. As of April 13, the animals were transferred to the Central Florida Zoo. One of those 13, a three-month-old baby named Bandit who arrived in critical condition, died at the zoo after showing signs of severe lethargy, dehydration, nutritional imbalances, and gastrointestinal complications.
The Expanding Circle of Accountability
The investigation has moved well beyond Florida's state regulatory framework. U.S. Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate Sloth World at the federal level.
PETA sent an open letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement requesting a criminal investigation into owner Benjamin Agresta, former vice president Peter Bandre, Sloth World, and its related business Sanctuary World Imports for apparent aggravated cruelty to animals under a Florida statute that makes it a third-degree felony to own or have custody of animals in a way that results in cruel death. Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the situation at a press conference, calling it really, really weird and indicating that the FWC would need to rectify whatever the matter was.
Agresta initially called government records documenting the deaths completely fiction before later attributing them to a virus. Neither Agresta nor Bandre responded to requests for comment on the criminal investigation.
Where It Stands
Criminal investigation confirmed. Bankruptcy filing underway. Federal agencies are involved. One rescued a dead sloth. Proposed legislation is in development to close the regulatory gaps that allowed this to happen. The Sloth World story, which began with an inspection report obtained through an open-records request, has become one of the most significant animal welfare cases in Florida history, and it is far from over.
