Kissimmee commission picks Azure for civic center site, SkyView for Toho Square after public presentations

The Kissimmee City Commission on Tuesday selected Azure Hotel International as the preferred developer for the Lakefront Civic Center site and approved SkyView Companies' proposal for the Toho Square (Tahoe Garage) site following presentations by four development teams and public comment.

The decisions came after staff and the commission reviewed revised proposals from four groups — Azure Hotel International and IHRMC Hotels and Resort Management for the civic center site, and Kissimmee Place Development Group (KPDG) and SkyView Companies for the Toho Square site. Economic Development Director David Rodriguez told the commission that, under the Azure proposal, “the convention center [would] be owned 100% by the city; Azure will operate and manage the convention center for 30 years, renewable.”

Why it matters: the commission’s selections set which development teams staff will negotiate with on project terms and a potential master development agreement. Those agreements will determine final project size, financing, revenue sharing and schedule and will return to the commission for approval.

Key points - Azure presented two hotel/convention options for the civic center: a smaller plan (about an…