Sarasota County plans to build major sports complex and boathouse at Nathan Benderson Park

The Sarasota County Commission agreed on Tuesday to dedicate $20 million of tourism tax revenue to building a boathouse and indoor sports complex at Nathan Benderson Park.

The county is planning to build a major sports complex that would serve as an engine for sports tourism in the Sarasota-Manatee area, according to the project’s feasibility report.

Commissioners voted last month to raise the county’s tourism development tax — also known as the bed tax — from 5% to 6%, after qualifying under state law to charge the higher rate based on its visitors. And on Tuesday, the board decided to dedicate $20 million of this sixth "penny" of bed tax revenue to the boathouse and indoor sports complex project.

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At Tuesday's commission meeting, Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Nicole Rissler estimated that the total project will cost at least $40 million. Since the bed tax is only slated to pay for $20 million of that total, the project will also be funded through corporate sponsorships and donations as well as donations from local foundations and private individuals, said Michael Taaffe, the chairman of the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy's board of directors.

Chicago-based C.H. Johnson Consulting, Inc., conducted a feasibility report for the project, which recommended that the complex be at least 100,000 square feet and include eight full-sized basketball courts. These could be converted into 16 volleyball courts or 24 pickleball courts. A facility of this size would be able to hold large tournaments.

C.H. Johnson Consulting also recommends that the facility have locker rooms, a concession/café bar concept, at least four multipurpose rooms and other amenities.

Rissler said the county will be using the consulting firm's recommendations as "a starting point" as it move forwards with concept planning and design.

Earlier: Sarasota County votes to increase bed tax from 5% to 6%

Some history: A ROWING PARK'S GROWING COSTS

The county is partnering with the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy – formerly known as Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates Inc.(SANCA) – on the project. The conservancy manages and operates the park, which is owned by the county.

The county is also planning to build a boathouse, which will store rowing boats. Taaffe said the sports complex will sit on top of the boathouse. The building will be located on the island at Nathan Benderson.

Some community members have, over the years, expressed concerns about the reliance on public money in the building of Nathan Benderson Park. The county provided $19.5 million to the project and the state $15 million.

In 2013, when the park was under construction, the county’s plan was that SANCA and corporations would fund the construction of the boathouse and some other elements of the project, according to a county press release at the time. SANCA and the county were working to complete the park ahead of the 2017 World Rowing Championships, hosted at the new rowing complex.

Taaffe noted that the World Rowing Federation had said that the championships required a finishing tower, but the event didn't require a boathouse. So SANCA decided to build the finishing tower first.

In 2018, the nonprofit started planning the boathouse, Taaffe said. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, which affected the planning process.

Sarasota County is also interested in extending the Legacy Trail to Nathan Benderson. Commissioner Christian Ziegler said that if this takes place, the park could host Ironman races, which combine running, biking and swimming.

"We could have a premier Ironman facility, one of the best, probably, Ironman routes in the country," he said.

Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County plans to build sports complex at Nathan Benderson Park