Pasco County approves private management deal for Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners approved an agreement awarding operations, maintenance and potential future development of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus to Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), county staff said at an afternoon meeting. The contract is structured as a 10‑year agreement with options to auto‑renew and carries a county one‑time investment of $500,000 and a $250,000 allowance to resurface indoor courts.

The vote follows a staff presentation from Consuelo Sanchez, tourism deputy director for Pasco County, laying out the campus’s history and the procurement process. Sanchez said the county released an invitation to negotiate (ITN) last year and received four responses; three were found unresponsive and only Sports Facilities Companies was judged responsive. “We negotiated a 10 year agreement with the option to auto renew for up to 4, 5 additional terms,” Sanchez told the board.

Why it matters: The campus was developed largely with tourist development tax revenue and has hosted national events since its 2020 opening. The county has been paying down a buyout related to a prior operator and has been seeking a private manager to stabilize operations, produce hotel room nights and build a dedicated capital reserve for facility upkeep.

Key terms and county commitments - Term and start: staff said the agreement is a 10‑year management contract with auto‑renewal options and that…