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Highlands County tourism council presents sports‑facility study; Lake June, H.L. Bishop appear in top recommendations
Summary
The Highlands County Tourism Development Council presented a countywide sports tourism feasibility study and ranked Lake Placid venues among potential tourism‑driving assets; the TDC advised municipalities that funding would require individual grant requests and that the council itself had no formal position.
County tourism officials presented a consultant study to the Lake Placid Town Council on Monday that assessed Highlands County’s inventory of sports and special‑use facilities and ranked improvements to better attract tournaments and visitor spending.
Casey Hart, tourism director for the Highlands County Tourism Development Council, summarized the 30‑page consultant report prepared by Huddle Up Group, Airstream Ventures and Synergy Sports. The consultants surveyed 37 county venues and selected 12 for closer study, then narrowed to a top five for renderings and financial estimates. The presentation included benchmarks for how fields, diamonds and courts score for tournaments and an initial order‑of‑magnitude renovation cost for several Lake Placid venues.
Hart emphasized the TDC’s role and funding source: the council is a county department funded by the tourism‑development tax on short‑term lodging stays, and the tax may be used only for tourism purposes under state statute. Hart said the TDC “does not have an official position” on which projects municipalities should pursue; the TDC funded the research and can accept grant requests for projects deemed “tourism‑driving.”
For Lake Placid, the consultants rated some local assets as below average for tourism purposes but noted renovation options. Recommendations for H.L. Bishop Park included refurbishing boat‑launch areas, moving the beach area to support larger events, renovating the clubhouse and adding lighting to support events such as open‑water swimming and powerboat racing. For Lake June and the sports complex, the report suggested converting existing diamonds and fields into multi‑use fields, expanding parking and concession areas, and potential land‑acquisition to enlarge waterfront and field capacity.
Hart and the consultants provided economic estimates for a sample renovation: one scenario projected roughly $1.62 million in annual direct visitor spending in year one tied to improvements at a major facility, with estimated sales‑tax and room‑night impacts shown in the report slides (figures presented as consultant estimates). The TDC presentation materials included an index that ranks facilities by tournament readiness; the county’s total sports‑tourism index has improved since 2020, Hart said, signaling increased competitiveness.
Council members asked whether the TDC would fund full renovation costs. Hart said the TDC does not control the county’s third‑penny capital fund policy and is not automatically committing to full project funding; municipalities must apply for TDC grants on a project‑by‑project basis. Hart also noted the TDC has been collecting money for a “third penny” development fund but that a grant program and formal cost‑sharing formula were not yet in place.
The presentation concluded with an invitation for municipal staff to pursue deeper design and cost estimates with the consultants and for towns to apply for grants if they choose to pursue projects shown in the report.
