Years: 2010-2011
This team has been working with a variety of public and private partners locally and throughout the region to bring a tournament style sports complex to Tallahassee. The object of such a facility would be to bring regional and national sports tournaments to the Tallahassee area. This would be a tremendous economic driver, would increase tourism, and would provide additional recreational opportunities for residents, which would continue to contribute to Tallahassee’s reputation as a desirable destination for the creative class.
Sports have the unique ability to bring people together and bring a sense of pride and cohesion to our community. They create an immediate and substantial economic impact. In addition, sports also showcase Tallahassee/Leon County as a creative community that promotes a diverse, active/healthy lifestyle
The team held public meetings to solicit input from various local stakeholders, and gathered data from a variety of governments, including the Tallahassee Sports Council and Visit Tallahassee. Using this data, the team was able to demonstrate the huge potential impact of a sports complex, and the Leon County Commission approved $75,000 to fund a feasibility study.
The results of the study indicated an indoor sports complex would be so unique to this region that it would have a tremendous draw. Highlights of the feasibility study include:
- 476 jobs created in the community.
- $17,000,000 in direct spending in the community.
- $25,000,000 economic impact.
- $1,300,000 in additional sales tax revenue.
However, the model proposed by the feasibility study carried a price tag the Commission was not comfortable moving on at this time. The project was also pitched to the Imagine Tallahassee Committee, where it was identified as a Tier 2 project, meaning there would likely not be funding available to move the idea forward as part of the Sales Tax Extension.
Since this study, the team has continued to engage with regional providers, and has partnered with a Florida based company that has a feasible model at a much more reasonable rate. The team is currently working with private partners to see if there is enough funding for a private model, or to bring a more concrete public/private partnership to the County for further consideration.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Adam Watson at awatson@mywatsoncpa.com or (850) 559-5631.
Community Catalysts
These are the people who helped make this project possible.
- Somnath Chatterjee
- Ken Foster
- Dia Kuykendall
- Cindy Meredith
- Jamal Raddar
- Leslie Smith
- Rob Sniffen
- Adam Watson