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Tennis stadium's price tag rises $2.2-million

Pasco County is working out details to pay the higher amount.

By DAVID DeCAMP
Published January 25, 2007

Despite promises the costs would be capped, Pasco County is nearing a deal to spend $2.2-million more to build a proposed tennis stadium, County Administrator John Gallagher said Wednesday.

The county is negotiating with Saddlebrook Resort to operate a 15-court, 5,000-seat tennis complex in southeast Pasco as a destination for big-name players and tournaments.

The County Commission approved the project in late 2002 with an expectation that the county would contribute no more than $5.7-million from its tourism tax on hotel stays. Saddlebrook would pay for any additional expenses. But with years of delays and mounting building costs bringing the price tag to $7.9-million, Gallagher said he has agreed to support adding more of the tax money. But final details have to be worked out and County Commissioners have final say.

The county and the resort have been trading proposals. Gallagher said another session between the county and resort is planned before the latest proposal can go to the Tourist Development Council in February and the County Commission in March. If approved, construction could take two years.

As with the plans for a new jail and roads, costs have risen for the stadium's construction and fill dirt for the courts, Gallagher said. He said Saddlebrook has convinced him no one could have foreseen the increases.

As part of the new budget, Gallagher said, Saddlebrook also wants the county to cover up to $400,000 in design costs so it does not risk losing the money if a new commission majority shoots down the stadium.

Gallagher also supports the extra money because Saddlebrook, a nationally known resort, contributes to the tourist tax. That fund is budgeted to have a balance of $10-million this year, although the portion from Saddlebrook was unavailable. Half of tourism tax revenues go to building projects.

"I'm just trying to bring closure to the process," Gallagher said.

The stadium would be on 24 acres near Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel, south of State Road 54 and due east of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. The land was donated by the Porter family, who are behind the area's major Wiregrass Ranch development.

When he pitched the idea of a tennis stadium, Saddlebrook chief executive Tom Dempsey had promised county costs would be limited to the $5.7-million allotted.

"We are confident that we can deliver the proposed tennis complex within that budget ..." Dempsey wrote in August 2002 as part of Saddlebrook's proposal. It described the $5.7-million as the county's "one-time investment."

Dempsey was out of town Wednesday. Other executives did not return calls for comment.

The commission approved the project in 2002 by a 3-2 vote. Commissioner Pat Mulieri and former commissioner Steve Simon opposed it. That night, Michael Cox - who would unseat Simon in 2006 - called the spending "welfare to the rich." He supported a failed bid for a multipurpose venue.

Cox said Wednesday he would support the project only if the county stays at $5.7-million.

"When you look at where that thing is situated, it's to help one entity, and that's Saddlebrook," Cox said.

But Commissioner Jack Mariano, a tourist commission member, and Commissioner Ted Schrader suggested they are inclined to support the additional spending, depending on how the final details turn out.

Mariano and Schrader said the tennis stadium would add value to the county by attracting marquee events and allow colleges and high schools to have tournaments. The county would own the tennis center, but a Saddlebrook foundation would lease and manage it.

Mariano, who joined the commission in 2004, said he couldn't comment on promises he did not hear. But Schrader said the rising costs "sound legitimate" after witnessing them go up on other county projects.

David DeCamp can be reached at 727 869-6232 or ddecamp@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 24, 2007, 22:48:23]