Parks board advances revised Pensacola Youth Soccer lease to city council, adds transparency requirements

The Pensacola Parks and Recreation Board voted Oct. 21 to advance a revised lease for Pensacola Youth Soccer to the city council after a lengthy discussion about contracting, financial transparency and signage.

Attorney Grace Perolos, who worked on the rewrite for the Parks Department, said the goal was to establish a consistent template for all youth sports organizations leasing city assets. Perolos told the board the lease would give Parks authority to review and approve signs before they are erected and that Parks staff could require organizations to submit financial documents to support transparency.

Board members pressed PYS representatives about referees and contracting. PYS leaders explained referees are typically assigned by a third-party assigner and are independent contractors, not direct employees. The board asked for clearer language about those relationships and for the right to request financial details. Chair and board members asked that the organization provide IRS Form 990 filings and profit-and-loss statements on request so the city and public can see where sponsorship and concession revenues are allocated.

One attendee praised the revisions as "a dramatic improvement" that gives the board and citizens "teeth" to ask questions about leasing arrangements and private profits from taxpayer-funded assets. After discussing staggering the timing of annual reports so not all organizations present in the same month, a board member moved to approve the lease as written and forward it to city council; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

What's next: The lease will be submitted to the city council for consideration. The board discussed operational details such as staggered annual reporting dates to ease the administrative burden on volunteers and staff.

Sources: Lease discussion, public comments and motion at the Oct. 21 Parks and Recreation Board meeting.