PCB City Council OKs lease agreement for D-BAT Sports facility at Frank Brown Park

Nathan Cobb, The News Herald
·2 min read

PANAMA CITY BEACH − A majority of local officials believe Frank Brown Park will benefit from an upcoming sports amenity.

The Panama City Beach City Council on Thursday approved a lease agreement with RHR Ventures LLC to develop a D-BAT Sports facility at the park. The ordinance passed 4-1, with Mary Coburn voting against.

Focused on youth training, D-BAT is know for its indoor batting cages, sporting good shops and bringing professional athletes to its facilities. It also offers personal training.

The Panama City Beach City Council on Thursday approved a lease agreement with RHR Ventures LLC to develop a D-BAT Sports facility at Frank Brown Park. It will be built on a parcel of land current used for a dirt parking lot.
The Panama City Beach City Council on Thursday approved a lease agreement with RHR Ventures LLC to develop a D-BAT Sports facility at Frank Brown Park. It will be built on a parcel of land current used for a dirt parking lot.

"It's a basic ground lease; it's not a joint venture," Mayor Mark Sheldon said. "I want to make sure that's clear and the public understands that. This is a ground lease only, and not a joint venture for any type of partnership with a business."

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According to information from the meeting, the local D-BAT will cover less than 4 aces. This will include an approximately 20,000 square-foot facility, parking spaces and necessary infrastructure.

The development will be constructed on an 8-acre parcel at the park currently used as a dirt parking lot. It is located on the southeast portion of the park, along Panama City Beach Parkway (Back Beach Road).

D-BAT was one of two companies that responded to a city request for proposal

PCB in January 2022 issued a request for proposals to develop the city-owned property. D-BAT was one of two companies that applied. The other was L&D LLC, which proposed to build a large golf attraction.

City Council members in July 2022 approved for the Beach to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with RHR Ventures for development of the property.

"I like this project," Councilman Paul Casto said. "I believe it's compatible with our park over there, and we need it to be successful. ... Frank Brown is such a blessing for our community, but it costs us a lot of money. This is one of the first things being built over there that will generate money instead of costing us money."

What's the next step?

Russell Ramey, president of RHR Ventures and owner of the local D-BAT franchise, told council members on Thursday the next step is to complete the facility's necessary permitting. Construction then should take about 14 to 15 months.

"We are excited about the opportunity to take these next steps forward," Ramey said. "We think it is the perfect partnership between the city and private that will enhance the baseball and softball facilities at Frank Brown Park."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: PCB Oks lease agreement for D-BAT Sports facility at Frank Brown Park