Seminole County to vote on $100M sports complex funding stream

Seminole County is expected to vote on the formation ordinance of a Tourism Improvement District on Feb. 25 — possibly creating a funding stream that would be used to build an indoor sports complex in Sanford in coming years. 

The Tourism Improvement District is a self-imposed tax imposed on larger hotels in Seminole County, and hotels representing more than 50% of the county’s beds have approved forming the district. That tax revenue could ultimately be used to secure bonds to build an indoor sports complex in Sanford, on county-owned property at the intersection of East Lake Mary Boulevard and Moore’s Station Road.

Rendering of a possible indoor sports complex in Seminole County.  (Image via Seminole County and Convergence Design)

Jay Zembower, Seminole County Commission chairman, put his thoughts on the project simply: Go big, or go home. 

“The reason some of us want to go bigger is it allows us the flexibility to have very large sports functions there, but it allows us to do all the graduations from the high schools,” Zembower said. “And Seminole State College needs an indoor facility for their basketball. And it would allow us to do music [events].” 

The meeting is being held Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 9:30 a.m.

Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari agreed the project needs to be big to work. Dallari, whose district represents Oviedo, said boosting the sports tourism market in Seminole County could also eventually provide the demand for a hotel in Oviedo or Winter Springs. 

Neither city currently has a hotel.

“Everyone will be using the facility, and by doing this you’ll be growing the need for hotels in those cities,” Dallari said. “This is a good thing for the cities. It’s gonna increase their tax base.” 

While details of the indoor sports complex are still being determined, according to a presentation last May, county commissioners are possibly looking at a 172,000-square-foot facility. It could cost anywhere from $66 million to more than $100 million to build. 

It is proposed to have 12 basketball courts, 24 volleyball courts and a full-size synthetic soccer field. There would also be a 6,000-seat capacity arena with special event flooring, and eight meeting rooms. It would also have its own parking garage.

The project would give another option for parents across Seminole County for indoor sports. In addition to sports events, the facility could also be used by Seminole County Public Schools to host indoor graduation ceremonies. And it would give the county a possible shelter location during storms that isn’t at a school, which would make it easier to activate in an emergency.

The site would also have an additional 8 acres of green space that could be reserved, or be developed for more outdoor sports. Zembower said he would like to see proposals to develop those other parts of the property into a hotel or restaurants to support the complex — possibly funded as a public-private partnership. 

Zembower said he would like to see the complex be closer to 220,000 square feet of space, and have seating for 10,000 in an arena. 

“The expectation is we’d like to be ready to turn dirt in two years,” Zembower said. “Open in three years.”

But that could change, especially when you consider the idea of retail and hotels on the property. “[With] hotels and restaurants and those kinds of things, it’s every bit a five-year project to completion.”

Seminole County is not the only county betting on sports tourism. Ocoee, which is in Orange County, voted on an even larger $1 billion project as well, funded by private entities. Zembower said that doesn’t change things in Seminole County.  

“It’s a lot of moving pieces because there are about five or six of these projects in the pipeline around the state,” said Gui Cunha, director of the Seminole County Office of Economic Development and Tourism. “So we have to position ourselves to have the best asset.” 

Tuesday’s meeting is not the final meeting about the project. Once the Tourism Improvement District is created, commissioners would need to meet in March to set the tax on hotels – about $1.75 per room, per day for the year, collected each month. And the county will need to begin the process of hiring designers for the project.