Skating community urges year‑round ice; Pensacola Bay Center outlines $10M renovation plan and ice‑season work

Speakers from the local ice‑sports community told the Tourist Development Council on Feb. 18 that lack of predictable, year‑round ice at the Pensacola Bay Center forces teams and competitions to travel out of the area and costs local tourism dollars.

Sharon Gobert, a 25‑year Escambia County resident who represents the Greater Pensacola Figure Skating Club, said the region currently lacks consistent ice and that contract constraints at the Bay Center prevent hosting competitions, camps and tournaments that could bring hotel nights. “We routinely receive tourism inquiries from skaters who need daily ice when they’re traveling,” Gobert said. “There is no ice rink competition for almost 250 miles. We use Pelham, Columbus, Georgia, and Jacksonville for hosting and training when there’s no ice here. We would love to be able to put heads and beds in Escambia County.”

Lindsay Thompson, mother of a 9‑year‑old U10 house hockey player and an adult figure skater, said her team will be staying in 64 hotel rooms in Nashville next month and estimated that hotel spending for their team totaled about $44,000. Thompson added that tournament hotel and registration spending are significant and that more predictable ice would encourage teams and families to stay locally.

Michael Capps, general manager for ASM Global at the Pensacola Bay Center, provided the council an operational update. Capps said the ice‑flyers lease extension will be on the Board of County Commissioners agenda and that weekday and weekend attendance for ice events has grown — he said the ice program averaged more than 5,500 tickets sold this season. The Bay Center manager described a $10 million capital‑improvement allocation already approved for the venue: roughly $6 million has been spent to date on improvements (restrooms, locker rooms, training rooms and other upgrades), and the remaining $4 million is expected to be allocated over the next two years as projects proceed.

Capps said the Bay Center plans to close (non‑ice season activities permitting) for July through September to remove and replace the concrete floor and install a new ice plant, and that the venue will replace its rental‑skate inventory to increase capacity. He said building owners currently cannot afford a second ice sheet but that the renovations and operational changes aim to better serve increasing demand.

Council members and staff noted that the Bay Center capital allocation came from the TDC’s fifth‑cent restricted fund (a dedicated TDT penny) and urged coordination on scheduling, funding and outreach to maximize the tourism return on the renovations. No formal action or funding change was taken at the meeting; staff said the ice‑flyers lease extension will be considered by the Board of County Commissioners at its upcoming meeting.