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Tennis stadium a bargaining chip

If the Wiregrass proposal, which is stalled by a road dispute, dies, the stadium may go, too.

By CHUIN-WEI YAP
Published April 3, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - As negotiations over the 5,000-acre Wiregrass development faltered, its backers toyed with a possible bargaining chip.

Last week, county officials reported the Porter family and its attorney had dangled the prospect that the family won't give up 24 acres on Wiregrass promised to Pasco and Saddlebrook owner Tom Dempsey for a $7.9-million national tennis stadium.

But on Monday Dempsey downplayed the threat.

He said he has not spoken to the Porters about the stadium, but detailed his warm business relationship with the Porter family - one that grew after both sides put behind them 17 years of legal battles over a flooding dispute.

"They want to do it," Dempsey said, referring to the stadium. "I think emotions will be adjusted based on good business logic. ... I'm sure the land will be there."

The Porters and Pulte Homes need a permit from the county to go ahead with Wiregrass.

Discussions have stumbled mainly on $1.6-billion of road improvements the county wants. The developer says it should be responsible for less than a third of that cost, but county officials disagree. As the talks drag on, Pulte and the Porters appear to have put the brakes on work at the Wiregrass site.

Here's where the tennis stadium comes in.

After nearly five years, county commissioners last week blessed Dempsey's plan to raise the 5,000-seat stadium on Wiregrass land to be donated by the Porters.

At that hearing, County Attorney Robert Sumner said the Porters now might not give up the stadium land because the county hasn't approved Wiregrass. But Sumner, who could not be reached Monday, added that he was "99 percent sure" the Porters would honor the stadium deal.

The county gave the Porters 120 days to hand over the land.

Dempsey said Monday his own experience with "developments of regional impact" - the designation Wiregrass needs to proceed - suggested to him that he need not worry about the stadium.

He described Wiregrass' $1.6-billion roads bill as astronomical.

Dempsey knows the Porters well.

The two sides clashed from 1983 to 2000, and the Porters sued Saddlebrook for allegedly flooding their property.

But Dempsey and the Porters reached a settlement in 2000. Since then, Dempsey has taken pains to reach out to the Porters, he said.

"I like the Porter boys, all three of them," he said, referring to the brothers Don, Tom and Bill. "We've had dinner together a number of times. We spent time together and got to know each other."

He said they have discussed aspects of the stadium.

"They wanted to make sure the entrance signage was proper, and that the stadium was aesthetically good and comparable to Saddlebrook," he said.

"We showed them the renderings and they said, 'Yeah, it looks great.' "

On Monday, commission Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand also called the stadium threat not a big issue.

She said the roads situation at Wiregrass must be resolved.

"It glaringly asks for major road improvements," she said.

"If you don't do that, you are going to have major problems getting into the development. Everybody wants Wiregrass to succeed. But we don't have the roads network in place."

Last year, again armed with threats of litigation, the Porters fought the county on another transportation issue in Wiregrass - and lost.

The family wanted gated communities with private roads. The county refused.

Don Porter could not be reached Monday.

Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at (813) 909-4613 or cyap@sptimes.com.

[Last modified April 2, 2007, 23:23:46]