Seminole County to talk rankings of $250 million in sports, park projects next week

Seminole County Commissioners will discuss how best to spend the revenue from the Penny Sales Tax, including sports facilities and park projects, next Tuesday, Oct. 28, starting at 9 a.m.  The meeting will be broadcast on YouTube here. 

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During the morning session, commissioners will have two work sessions on the penny sales tax, officially known as the One Cent Infrastructure Sales Tax, approved by voters in November 2024. The sales tax is expected to bring in an estimated $650 million over the next decade. 

On Tuesday, commissioners will be discussing two types of projects: Park infrastructure projects, and “other” infrastructure. Those projects are expected to account for about $250 million in spending in the next decade. 

“It constitutes roughly almost 38% of our total of 4th generation [penny sales tax] commitments,” said Chris Patton, a  Seminole County spokesman.

Projects being considered include:

• A possible new Animal Services building to help relieve overcrowding. 
• A consolidation of more county administration buildings to what’s known as the new Five Points campus, across from the old Flea World location. 
• A new medical examiner building, which has been a point of contention as a regional group looks to move the current medical examiner’s office from Leesburg to Marion County. 
• Rolling Hills Community Park: The county has already kicked off a $20 million phase of the project to turn the former golf course into trails and parks. The project is also tied to the Jetta Point property in Winter Springs, which could be sold now that environmental remediation at Rolling Hills is complete.
• Rosenwald Community Services Center, a project to turn a former segregated school into a community hub in East Altamonte Springs.
• The WB Equestrian Building, which the county bought last year for about $10 million.  

Additionally, Seminole County is looking to spend $281,050 with consultant Pizzuti Solutions LLC to study what kind of facilities would work – and give cost estimates – for a planned indoor sports complex in Sanford. The project, and the consultant, are funded entirely with a tax hoteliers agreed to levy earlier this year on themselves. 

“The consultant will partner with Seminole County to expand upon the County’s existing vision, further refine the project scope, and develop recommendations that identify the most viable and sustainable path forward which meets the county’s expectations of the project,” the proposed contract reads. 

The county is also looking to select a construction manager for the new County Administration building at Five Points.

Abe Aboraya is a Report for America Corps Member