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City staff recommend opening The Landings to competing P3 proposals after receiving unsolicited $180M sports-complex bid
Summary
City staff reviewed an unsolicited $180 million public–private partnership proposal to convert The Landings golf course into a sports-and-wellness complex, concluded it qualifies for further consideration, and recommended soliciting competing proposals and a 30-day advertisement to invite alternatives while requiring detailed remediation, FAA compatibility, and financing milestones.
City staff presented an unsolicited proposal on Aug. 3 to redevelop The Landings municipal golf course into a multi-phase $180 million sports and wellness complex. The project — proposed by Sunshine Recreational & Entertainment LLC and managed by Les Porter — would replace the golf course with multipurpose fields, covered pickleball courts, a water amenity, fitness and wellness facilities, restaurants and family-entertainment offerings.
Assistant City Manager Al Battle summarized the unsolicited-proposal review process outlined in Florida statute and said the city engaged municipal advisers and departmental reviewers to perform a high-level assessment of the concept, financing and regulatory constraints. Wendell Gartner of Public Resource Advisory Group cautioned that the project’s viability hinges on a large private construction loan and revenue assumptions (notably food-and-beverage operations), and recommended obtaining evidence of firm financing commitments before finalizing lease terms or recommending the project for approval.
Planning staff said the proposed use is consistent with the property’s Open Space Recreation (OSR) zoning because the principal use would remain a parks-and-recreation facility; accessory commercial uses are capped at 25% of gross floor area and must be subordinate to the primary recreational use. Staff and the proposer also discussed site constraints: the site contains former landfill material that would require brownfields remediation; the developer proposes remediation under DEP oversight; and the property’s proximity to the airport raises FAA and compatibility issues that must be resolved. Staff recommended accepting the unsolicited proposal as a qualifying project and issuing a 30-day public solicitation to invite competing proposals; the proposer agreed and said it will also pursue TDT and private financing if the city selects a qualifying project.
Council members asked detailed questions about traffic modeling, stormwater benefits and neighborhood impacts; the proposer offered concessions including 24/7 on-site security, expanded landscape buffers, an opaque wall and reduced parking fees to mitigate street parking and merchant impacts. Staff said final decisions would require additional technical reviews, permit approvals, and negotiated lease terms protective of city interests.
