OPINION: We need answers on rowing park funding
Recently, Sarasota County approved a $20 million tourist tax bond in part to build a multimillion dollar boathouse at Benderson Rowing Park – a structure that was promised in 2013 to be paid for and constructed with corporate/private support. So how did this public-private partnership funding failure happen?
Nine years ago, Sarasota County and local rowing officials lobbied the World Rowing Federation to host the 2017 World Rowing Championships at Benderson Rowing Park. In 2013, a world-class Benderson Rowing Park was just a vision, not a reality. In fact, Sarasota was competing for the 2017 event against Plovdiv, Bulgaria. which already had a major, well-established rowing complex.
So the county entered into a public/private partnership with Benderson Development and SANCA (now known as the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy) to convince the World Rowing Federation that it would build a premiere rowing facility-financed with public and private millions. As a result, Sarasota County won the bid to host the 2017 World Rowing Championships – a feat that won great praise from the U.S. rowing community.
In all, more than $35 million in public funding – including a county tourist tax bond and state grants – financed the infrastructure and costs to host the 2017 rowing championships; meanwhile, corporate funding was expected to finance the finish tower, boathouse, grandstands and restrooms.
The publicly financed infrastructure, including a man-made regatta island, was completed for the 2017 event as planned. However, the corporate funding was only enough to allow the finish tower to be built in time for the world championships, prompting a last-minute state grant to pay for temporary facilities. And to this day, the promised boathouse, grandstands and restrooms still haven't been constructed.
This leads to some pressing questions:
Did Sarasota County require its private partners to sign binding commitments to make good on any of their grandiose funding pledges?
If so, why has the county approved yet another massive tourist bond to bail out the Benderson Park Foundation and Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy to build the long-delayed boathouse?
Does the county commission think that citizens have forgotten about the 2013 private funding pledges?
Millions of dollars in tax revenue that should be spent on valid needs – such as maintaining Sarasota’s popular public beaches – should not be used to reward private "partners” who renege on public pledges of corporate funding for tourism venues.
The approval of a second tourist bond for Benderson Rowing Park follows a hollow partnership precedent set back in 2009 when the Baltimore Orioles reneged on a pledge to build a lucrative Cal Ripken Youth Baseball Academy at Twin Lakes Park. However, the Orioles have still been able to enjoy training in a renovated Ed Smith Stadium, a project that was also done at public expense.
To add more vinegar to the current mix, this newly approved $20 million in public funding represents only half of the cost to expand the rowing park. Who will pay the other $20 million? According to the new Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy chairman, the project will "also be funded through corporate sponsorships and donations as well as donations from local foundations and private individuals."
But we’ve all heard that one before, haven't we?
Public-private partnerships gone wrong can leave citizens holding the bag. When Sarasota County voters cast their ballots later this year to elect new commissioners, they should keep in mind what can happen when their tax dollars are used for questionable purposes – and with little oversight.
Pat Rounds is a past secretary of the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections. Bill Zoller is a past president of the Sarasota Council of Neighborhood Associations.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County shouldn't spend more tax money on rowing park
