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Board approves Visit Orlando sports‑incentive package including wrestling events and youth tournaments; Jaguars seasonal games also recommended
Summary
Orange County commissioners approved Visit Orlando’s sports‑incentive committee recommendations on April 22, authorizing funding agreements for youth tournaments, a bid fee for USA Fencing, marketing for the Bridal Cup and negotiating a multi‑year WWE/TKO rights package and a proposed Jacksonville Jaguars season hosting arrangement.
The Orange County Board of County Commissioners on April 22 approved a package of sports‑incentive recommendations managed through Visit Orlando that the board uses to attract major events, from youth tournaments to global entertainment sports.
The sports committee recommended funding or bid support for multiple events and the full board voted to approve Visit Orlando entering into funding agreements for the recommended items. The set of approvals includes smaller bids and long‑running youth events the county regularly supports and a larger proposed multi‑year package for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and its sister properties under TKO Holdings.
Key items (committee recommendations approved by the board): - A $25,000 allocation to Kindred Pride Foundation for marketing the Bridal Cup LGBTQ+ multi‑sport tournament (May 30–June 1, 2025); the committee estimated roughly 2,500 attendees and 1,480 room nights. - $40,000 to support a USA Fencing North American Cup bid (October 2026) at the Orange County Convention Center; earlier similar events drew several thousand athletes and visitors. - Continued support for the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships (June 13–July 7, 2025) at the convention center, an event that brings large youth attendance and multi‑week room demand. - Approval for Visit Orlando to pursue and enter into a funding agreement covering rights fees for a multi‑event WWE/TKO package that would include events in 2026–2028 and WrestleMania in 2031, subject to contract details and periodic cash‑flow arrangements; the tourism office estimated the WWE/TKO package could drive more than 120,000 hotel room nights and significant national and international media exposure.
In a separate but related request, Florida Citrus Sports and other partners sought county support for hosting Jacksonville Jaguars regular‑season home games at Camping World Stadium while the Jags’ home stadium undergoes renovations. The board approved the committee’s recommendation to allow Visit Orlando to negotiate and enter a funding agreement to pursue hosting a significant portion of the Jags’ 2027 home schedule in Orlando, conditioned on the Jaguars obtaining league and ownership approvals. Commissioners debated the relative value of a multi‑game NFL package (estimated by proponents at roughly 150,000 attendees and $20 million economic impact) versus other events that more clearly generate overnight stays during low demand shoulder seasons.
Board action and process notes The board’s approval lets Visit Orlando enter into funding agreements and negotiate contract terms (including milestone and performance metrics) on the approved events. Several commissioners asked staff for more detailed third‑party economic analyses for very large requests; the board discussed but did not require additional outside studies before approval, relying on committee vetting and Visit Orlando analysis. Commissioners also asked that Visit Orlando and event partners include community engagement, non‑profit partnerships and district‑level ticket allocations for outreach to schools, veterans and underserved residents.
Next steps Visit Orlando will finalize funding agreements and performance terms with the event organizers; payments under each agreement will be contingent on contracted deliverables and the actual staging of events. For the Jaguars proposal, Visit Orlando and county negotiators will present an offer to the NFL team and the NFL owners will decide on league approvals at a future owners meeting. If an event is not staged or performance benchmarks are not met, Visit Orlando agreements include standard non‑performance clauses that would stop payments.
Ending: The board approved the committee’s recommended package and asked Visit Orlando to prioritize measurable hotel‑night and local‑spend reporting, community activations and stewardship of public funds when drafting final agreements.
