Seminole County finalizes tax stream for indoor sports complex

Kristen Oswald is the first to admit she was originally against the idea of a tax on hotels being used to build an indoor sports complex in Sanford. 

Oswald, the general manager of the TownePlace Suites in Altamonte Springs also manages the Hampton Inn and Suites next door. They’re both located at the busy intersection of Interstate 4 and State Road 436. She originally thought that only the hotels closest to the complex would benefit. But now, she says, her hotels are seeing declining occupancy over the summer months. And she thinks that their location – close enough to Sanford, but an easy drive off I-4 to the theme parks – will attract more guests. 

“We have to do something,” Oswald said. “There’s not enough out there right now. There’s not many opportunities we as hoteliers get to create the demand.”

The Seminole County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved levying a $1.75 per-hotel-room, per-day tax on Seminole County hotels with 60 or more rooms. There are 39 hotels meeting that criterion, and hotels representing more than 50% of the rooms signed petitions in favor of the assessment. 

In total, that would bring $3.2 million per year into Seminole County’s coffers. The Seminole County Commission is looking to take that expected revenue stream and issue bonds to pay for an indoor sports complex in Sanford, on county-owned property at the intersection of East Lake Mary Boulevard and Moore’s Station Road. 

The site is nestled between the Sanford International Airport and the north side of the Lake Jesup Conservation Area, and is near the Boombah Sports Complex Seminole County operates. 

While details of the indoor sports complex are still being determined, according to a presentation last May county commissioners are considering 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-sized synthetic soccer field. There would also be a 6,000-seat-capacity arena with special event flooring, and eight meeting rooms. It would have its own parking garage. Pickleball courts are also a possibility.

The tax will be assessed starting in April. County Commissioners are expected to have a workshop in the summer to hammer out details of what the complex would look like. 

“Right now I have that scheduled for the first meeting in June for the board to look at,” said Seminole County Manager Darren Gray. 

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.

In previous interviews, Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari has said the indoor sports complex could help boost tourism, which could spur a hotel in Oviedo or Winter Springs, which currently don’t have one. 

For Oswald, she said she’s not worried about the possible maintenance costs going forward. She said she’s watched Seminole County handle the Boombah Sports Complex in Sanford as well. 

“I don’t worry about that at all; I know Seminole County can handle that,” Oswald said. “There are people from other states that are saying, ‘When do you have this built? We’re ready to come.’ The business is out there, we just need to put the facility there.” 

In other news, the Seminole County Commission: 

• Got an update on the bear population in Seminole County, and heard about the possibility of another bear hunt. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is holding a virtual meeting March 13 to get public comment on the possibility of doing a statewide bear hunt. 
• Approved an agreement with Rescue Outreach Mission to reimburse staff costs when the shelter expands capacity during a state of emergency, such as a hurricane. Rescue Outreach Mission in Sanford is the only homeless shelter in Seminole County.