Camden County pitches Georgia-Florida Sports Park to draw sports tourism and spur local investment

Camden County officials on a state Economic Development & Tourism committee panel in Atlanta outlined plans for the Georgia–Florida Sports Park, a public‑private sports tourism complex near Exit 1 and Exit 3 on I‑95 intended to attract multi‑day travel tournaments and private investment to the county.

James Coughlin, head of the Camden County Joint Development Authority, told committee members the project is designed to “draw out‑of‑state visitors to Camden” and capture retail and hotel dollars that currently leave the county for Florida. Coughlin said the park would create fields, a multipurpose indoor arena, a championship “showcase” stadium, an RV park and areas targeted for hotels, restaurants and workforce housing.

The project is being advanced as a public‑private partnership. Coughlin said the county and its partner cities — St. Marys, Kingsland and Woodbine — have coordinated with a private developer led by Bill Gross of WH Gross Construction and an operating partner, Oak View Group, to manage events and programming. “This is a catalyst to attract private investment,” Coughlin said.

Why it matters: Camden County officials said the county’s tax…