Florida Sports Coast reports growth: Wiregrass Sports Campus drives room nights and economic impact

Adam Thomas Torres, introducing the Florida Sports Coast annual report, said the organization has refocused on programming to create tourism demand and international markets, highlighting events that drew participants and generated hotel stays. He reported that the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus hosted 60 events that produced about 22,804 room nights and an economic impact of roughly $25.5 million after the county took over operations from the previous operator.

Torres cited broader metrics from 2025 and early 2026: he said Florida Sports Coast's efforts generated about 40,000 room nights across 140 events in 2025 and that the organization's reported countywide economic impact for 2025 was around $1.1 billion. He singled out the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational as an example of a signature event that generated over 4,600 room nights and an estimated $5,100,000 economic impact over two weekends.

Torres also discussed marketing results and tactics: social and digital campaigns, trade-show attendance (including upcoming IPW), airline in-flight sponsorships and partnerships with booking platforms. He said the destination is pursuing international markets such as Colombia following a new weekly Avianca flight and reported growth in social followers and newsletter subscriptions.

Commissioners asked whether the county has sufficient hotel capacity; Torres said about 52 or 53 hotels exist in the county and that some room nights "leak" to neighboring Hillsborough County during large events. The board thanked the presenter and encouraged continued efforts to attract events and keep visitor spending in Pasco County.