Hotel tax task force hears pitches for Dr. Phillips Center, Amway, UCF sports village and Eatonville campus
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N.Y. Nathiri said she expects the Orange County Convention Center to get its chunk of Orange County’s hotel tax money, as a well-known economic driver for the region.
But Nathiri, the founder of the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts, told members of the county’s Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force they have the opportunity to recommend investing in a project with both economic and creative potential, in the heart of the nation’s oldest Black-incorporated municipality.
“We’re very excited about what this brings to Orange County and to Eatonville,” she said. “We really feel in our bones that this is the juice.”
Nathiri on Friday made her case for the Zora Neale Hurston Campus for the Arts, the Humanities, and the Sciences, a project proposed to bring a new museum, conference center and STEM learning center to 23 of the 100 acres recently spared from development when a proposed land sale, opposed by many of the town’s residents, fell through.
Task force members, who met for the fifth time Friday, are mulling requests from more than 50 groups for a chunk of the TDT, also known as the hotel or bed tax, a 6% levy tacked onto a night’s stay at hotels and vacation rentals throughout the county.
Nathiri’s group is seeking about $88 million for its campus, which she said would bring about 740 jobs over 10 years, including roughly 400 for its construction. The panel also heard from the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, which is seeking $145 million to build out its green space; the University of Central Florida, which wants $176 million to build a “sports village” on campus; and the city of Orlando, which is requesting $256 million to renovate Amway Center.
Dr. Phillips Center President and CEO Kathy Ramsberger presented the task force with a vision for a sprawling, multi-tiered outdoor gathering space on the lawn outside the arts center, with restaurant space, free music, shade and a “sky garden” she said would become an iconic attraction to downtown Orlando, “very much worthy of international attention.”
The proposed multi-use pavilion, which would be built atop the expansive lawn that currently sits between Orlando City Hall and the center, represents a departure from earlier plans for a hotel at the north end of the site and an office building on the south end. Ramsberger said the center’s financial success allowed it to pivot to a vision less centered on generating revenue.
Still, she said the new plan would bring a $360 million economic impact and $24 million in tax revenue, as well as 1,500 jobs. The center aims to attract an additional 1 million visitors a year and host 1,000 free performances and events, as well as 450 ticketed events.
“Our impact is something that was always top of mind – not only economic impact but community impact since the day we opened our doors,” she said.
UCF’s presentation focused on the university’s upcoming entry into the Big 12, with speakers stressing the need to keep its facilities up to par with its new Power 5 conference peers. Athletics Director Terry Mohajir told the task force that the request for funds comes at a time of “unprecedented… energy and excitement” among alumni, students and fans.
The proposed sports village would feature a soccer-specific stadium, designed to attract amateur all-star events and warm weather training for professional teams; renovations to FBC Mortgage Stadium, also known as the “Bounce House,” and Addition Financial Arena; the county’s first intercollegiate track and field facility; baseball training facility updates and an international broadcast center.
UCF’s presentation said the new and renovated facilities would attract 2.1 million out-of-area visitors over 10 years, with $910 million in economic impact.
“UCF athletics has a proven track record for successfully bringing visitors to our region,” Mohajir said, noting that athletic events reliably fill hotels from east Orange to downtown Orlando and the tourist corridor with athletes, their families and fans. “…They dine at our restaurants, visit our attractions and support our local economy.”
UCF requests $176 million from tourist tax revenue to speed up athletic facility upgrades
The UCF officials faced questions from several task force members about whether the university truly needed public funds to pay for its planned renovations, with one member noting that the stated timeline — construction beginning in six months — suggested the work was already shovel-ready.
Challenged to name another university athletics program that receives hotel tax money, UCF Vice President Fred Kittinger Jr. cited the University of North Florida, which he said receives funding from the Duval County Tourist Development Council for its track surface and to host track-and-field related events.
Mohajir and university President Alexander Cartwright said the public funding would boost the university’s plans as it readies to enter a new conference. Mohajir said the request was “not to fund a full master plan” but to “accelerate the venue enhancements that align with the economic development goals of our region.”
Said Cartwright, “We don’t just want to enter into the Power 5, we want to enter into the Power 5 big time.”
Allen Johnson, the city of Orlando’s venues chief, pitched the proposed Amway Center renovations, which include improvements to everything from security and the HVAC system to Wi-Fi, high speed internet, the floors and lighting. Johnson stressed the need to “keep the Amway Center competitive” with its rivals for events across the county.
“Venues that were built around the same time as ours are already making significant investments,” he said, citing facility upgrades in the works in Charlotte and Cleveland.
Johnson said renovating Amway would put Orlando under consideration for events like the NBA All-Star Game, which it last hosted in 2012, as well as top concert tours.
“Investments made in the Amway Center will ensure that we continue to be a destination for marquee events,” he told the task force.
Members didn’t indicate support or opposition to any projects, though they had the most questions for the UCF proposal and the fewest for the Dr. Phillips Center, among the major projects. They also heard a pitch from the Orlando Urban Film Festival Foundation, which proposed a rock and soul music festival at a cost of $20 million.
Friday was the last scheduled session for the task force to listen to pitches; members now are expected to assess the projects on their potential for tourism expansion, their soundness and the anticipated return on the county’s investment.
The panel will next convene on June 26.
