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 8‑story, ~200‑room hotel with a roughly 25,000‑square‑foot convention center) and a larger plan (about a 9‑story, ~250‑room hotel with roughly 35,000 square feet of convention space). Azure stated the overall project cost is about $150 million and proposed that the city would own the convention center and receive 100% of its revenues while Azure would operate the center for a 20% management fee and offer a 5% hotel revenue share to the city. Azure told the commission it would invest approximately $139 million in the hotel portion and suggested a 36‑month construction timeline if agreements are reached. - SkyView’s Toho Square proposal won the commission’s approval after KPDG and SkyView both presented revised concepts for the Tahoe Garage site. SkyView emphasized a larger mixed‑use approach; KPDG emphasized a Hyatt‑branded hotel at about 160 rooms, additional parking, and a revenue‑share/lease model with the city. - Public comment heavily focused on taxpayer value and long‑term city revenue. Unite Here Local 737 and multiple downtown residents and workers urged the commission to choose the proposals that would return the most consistent revenue and preserve local jobs; several speakers explicitly urged the commission to favor Hyatt/KPDG for Toho Square, arguing its figures produced higher net revenue to the city. Other speakers supported SkyView’s design and scale for Toho Square.

Commission action and next steps - Civic Center site: motion to approve Azure as the preferred proposer carried 5–0 (motion by Commissioner Carlos Alvarez; second by Commissioner Noel Ortiz). Staff told the commission it will negotiate a master development agreement with the selected team and return to the commission for final approval; staff also said appraisals and detailed financial analysis are required before final agreements are signed. - Toho Square site: motion to approve SkyView Companies carried unanimously (motion by Commissioner Noel Ortiz; second by Vice Mayor Angela Eady). Staff will similarly enter detailed negotiations with SkyView.

What remains uncertain - Final hotel size and final convention center square footage will be decided in master development agreement negotiations and may change from the proposals presented. Azure offered two size options; the commission directed staff to negotiate terms and bring final, executable agreements back for commission approval. - Funding details discussed at the hearing include a $10 million city allocation for the convention center and developer requests for grant/fee support (transcript references a $1.5 million “pioneer” grant allocation in the CRA for one proposer). Staff said grant requests and CRA funds will be evaluated as part of negotiations.

Comments from developers and the public - David Rodriguez, Economic Development Director: summarized the proposals and reiterated that staff will negotiate terms and return to the commission with a master development agreement. - Ella Wood, Unite Here Local 737: urged the commission to select development options that return the most revenue to the city and protect hotel jobs, saying the Hyatt/KPDG numbers would produce a stronger taxpayer return than SkyView’s presentation for the Toho Square site.

Meeting context and next steps The commission’s votes advance the two projects to the negotiation phase. Staff will conduct appraisals, verify pro formas, and negotiate final business terms and any requested public incentives. Final master development agreements, if reached, will be presented to the commission for approval. Until that point, the selections are direction to staff, not executed contracts.