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Sports Arena Idea Raises 'Red Flag'

By Carl Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: October 23, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - A legal snag might prevent Pasco County from using impact fee revenue and some tax money to build a multipurpose sports facility.

County Attorney Robert Sumner shared his "concerns" today with County Commission members about financing for any county-owned arena.

The facility would be managed by a private company and would charge admission.

One example of a public-private partnership is Big League Dreams, a California-based firm that specializes in operating public-owned baseball and softball fields.

Commissioners Jack Mariano and Michael Cox favor building some form of public-private sports facility here. They suggest leveraging the county's tourist tax dollars from the 2 percent surcharge on bills of overnight hotel stays and other short-term rentals.

The county has already designated some park impact fee money to build a regional park in the Trinity area. The sports arena could possibly be incorporated into those plans, officials suggest.

Big League Dreams Sports Parks, however, charges $1 admission per child at its facilities. That fee is offset with a dollar-off token for savings on soft drinks.

Some strings are attached to the park impact fees the county charges on each new home to help keep up with growth, Sumner said.

The same concern raised a "red flag" in her mind, Commissioner Pat Mulieri commented this morning.

Commissioner Ted Schrader is reluctant to commit tourism tax money toward a multisports arena that charges admission.

Nonetheless, commissioners were intrigued enough by the potential of the facility to go along with studying options. They approved Cox's suggestions to request proposals from sports arena developers and to study qualifications of management firms.

Read more on the proposed sports complex in Saturday's West Pasco edition of The Suncoast News.

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