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 SFC is slated to assume operations and maintenance on or about Aug. 1, 2025, if the board’s approval is implemented. - County payment and maintenance items: the county will make a one‑time payment of $500,000 to help cover transition and initial operating shortfalls and will include $250,000 to reimburse resurfacing of indoor facility floors. - Financial structure: staff presented a $18,000 monthly management fee in the draft agreement but said the county will not pay that fee directly; SFC will operate an operational account and pay itself from venue revenue. SFC agreed contractually to allocate 5% of gross revenues (not net) to a capital reserve fund for the campus. - Investments and performance expectations: SFC proposed immediate private investment of about $2 million to $3 million to convert two long fields to artificial turf and the contract requires SFC to generate at least 30,000 hotel room nights annually in Pasco County as part of its obligations. SFC also will perform a six‑month due diligence and feasibility study for potential expansion of available land and for parking solutions.

Board discussion and concerns Board members repeatedly flagged parking and the facility’s history with the prior operator, Rad Sports. Commissioner Jack Mariano noted the campus’s current parking shortages and urged caution given the county’s prior experience: “We rushed that decision…we were locked in the contract, and we ended up buying them out, and we’re still paying that debt,” Mariano said, referring to the county’s prior buyout payment tied to Rad Sports. Staff told the board the Rad Sports buyout was $3,000,000 and that payments on that obligation continue through 2027.

SFC representatives and county staff said the parking issue is part of the proposal. Eric Sullivan, founding partner of Sports Facilities Companies, told commissioners SFC has included a parking garage option in its submittal and that the company has proposals from multiple parking‑garage developers. “We have full intention of solving the parking solution as part of what was phased or, excuse me, part c of the ITN,” Sullivan said. County staff noted SFC has six months to run feasibility studies at no cost to the county and that the original ITN made parking optional after legal review.

Other comments and staff assessments Keith Wiley, director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, described temporary overflow parking options on an undeveloped 18‑acre parcel north of the facility and said construction last year reduced previous overflow capacity. Cathy Pearson, Assistant County Ministry of Public Services, thanked the interim parks team for stabilizing operations and said she supports having a professional operator handle the venue: “This is their business. This is their expertise,” Pearson said.

Formal action and next steps A motion to approve staff’s recommendation to award ITN ITND524113 (agenda item R53) to the responding proposer for management, operations and potential expansion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote; the clerk announced the motion passed. Staff said, if the agreement is approved administratively, SFC and county staff will begin a transition process and SFC will have six months to complete feasibility work on expansion and parking. The county will continue to use tourist development tax revenues to fund the one‑time payment and resurfacing reimbursement; staff emphasized the general fund will not be tapped for that initial payment.

What the contract does not yet resolve Board members asked for clarification on whether the county would be obligated to refund any private SFC investment if the contract were terminated. Staff said the agreement includes a convenience termination clause allowing either party to terminate with 12 months’ written notice and that the county does not have to repay SFC’s private infrastructure investment if it chooses to terminate. Commissioners continued to press for parking details and feasibility results before substantial construction of new fields or vertical parking is undertaken.

The board scheduled no further public hearing on this item at the meeting; staff and SFC will proceed with the transition and the six‑month feasibility work described to the board.