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 base is heavily residential and that capturing more commercial activity from visitors is critical to sustaining local services as population growth continues. The presenters argued sports tourism produces multiple room nights and retail spending per visit, which can support new hotels and restaurants near the interchange nodes.

Key facts and funding steps

- Site and scale: Presenters described the sports park footprint as including rectangle fields (for soccer, lacrosse and football configurations), diamonds (baseball/softball), a multipurpose indoor arena and a championship or “showcase” stadium. The presenters said fields will use newer‑generation artificial turf to allow play in wet conditions and multiple daily events.

- Infrastructure and approvals: Coughlin said a local SPLOST (special‑purpose local option sales tax) vote scheduled for March 18 would fund spine infrastructure — water, sewer, the main spine road and storm drainage — to serve the park. He said the City of Kingsland has adopted a tax allocation district (TAD) and both the county and the school board have agreed to participate in the TAD to help build fields. Coughlin said the project was preapproved under the Georgia Tourism Development Act before COVID and will be reconsidered under that program as the proposal has evolved.

- Private investment and operations: Presenters emphasized the park will be publicly owned but privately managed, and that private developers and operators will build and operate hotels, restaurants and other commercial uses. Bill Gross, a Camden County developer, said Oak View Group completed the feasibility study and will be the operating partner; Gross said Oak View manages large venues elsewhere in the state.

- Local market context: The presentation referenced a Georgia Power retail leakage study intended to show where county spending currently leaves for neighboring states. Presenters said Exit 3 already has about 1,400 hotel rooms and that Cumberland Island National Seashore is the only existing destination tourism draw in the county, with a daily visitor cap that limits overnight stays.

Questions and concerns raised

Committee members asked about scale, hotel timing and demand. Representative Stange asked why girls’ travel sports can deliver larger economic benefits than boys’ sports; presenters said family travel patterns for girls’ tournaments generally involve more accompanying adults who spend additional time and money in destination communities. Presenters also said private management would organize tournaments and pursue “bookending” strategies — encouraging visitors to arrive early or stay late and visit local attractions.

Implementation status and dependencies

Presenters said: (1) the SPLOST vote would fund backbone infrastructure to pad sites, (2) private developers would build access roads and commercial pads, and (3) state tourism incentives such as the Georgia Tourism Development Act could be pursued but require updated review because the project scope has changed since pre‑COVID approvals. No formal committee vote or action on approvals occurred at the briefing; the session was informational.

Ending note

Project proponents told committee members they hope the sports park will redirect tourist spending now going to Florida, increase hotel room nights and spur new commercial tax revenue in Camden County. The presenters asked the committee to consider the sports park as an example of a public‑private approach to tourism development in coastal Georgia.