Sarasota County faces deficit in baseball stadium fund by 2027

Owning two baseball stadiums serving as Major League Baseball spring training sites brings more than a measure of prestige to Sarasota County, it also results in $190 million-plus in economic impact to the county each year.

It also comes at a cost. 

During their April 23 meeting, Sarasota County commissioners were told by Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Nicole Rissler maintenance and repair obligations at both Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium and North Port’s CoolToday Park will deplete the sports stadium fund balance by fiscal year 2027 unless there are adjustments. 

Ending fiscal year 2024, there was $22.6 million in the fund balance for repairs and maintenance obligations at both ballparks. This includes $18 million in work required at Ed Smith Stadium, which the county acquired from the city in 2008. That leaves a projected $7.35 million at the end of the fiscal year. Most of that spend is to replace two aging HVAC systems besides other projects at the stadium last renovated 16 years ago. 

The stadium opened in 1989.

Scheduled work in fiscal year 2026 leaves only $313,807 in the fund, and the end of fiscal year 2027 projects a deficit if $1.8 million. By the end of FY2029, the fund will be nearly $6.6 million in the red.

“What we're asking is to provide some direction to us regarding next steps for development of some funding options, or a plan to move forward and make sure that we are not in a place where we have to come back next year and say, ‘we're short $5 million,’” Rissler said. “We'd be looking for additional revenue through one of the TDT (tourism development tax) funds to make sure that we are covering the shortfalls that you're seeing,” Rissler said. 

That direction came as unanimously approved motion to direct staff to craft a model to assure full funding to meet county obligations for both stadiums and bring the plan back to the commission for consideration as budget season continues.

The blow was somewhat softened by the Baltimore Orioles ownership’s commitment to the city via a planned $23 million investment in an expansion of its facilities at Ed Smith Stadium to build a player development center that includes expanded parking, renovations of practice field 1 at the complex, an indoor training center featuring climate-controlled batting cages and a covered training structure with pitching mounds and batting tunnels.

That investment by the Orioles’ ownership indicates a long-term commitment by the team to stay in Sarasota. Prior to voting to direct staff to devise a funding plan, commissioners unanimously approved the Orioles’ expansion plans, which remain subject to approval by the City of Sarasota.

“For a long time we've kind of deferred maintenance and it's catching up, and we've got to make sure we get ahead of it and also pre-funding some of those we know are coming so we're not in the same situation trying to figure out how we're going to pay for these things,” Cutsinger said.

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Portions of a two-penny surtax allocation generate tourism development funds, yielding $43.93 million annually. Currently, 16% of that fund is earmarked for sports stadiums, $7,175,397.

The County Commission will discuss staff-provided options for obtaining additional stadium funds from tourism development tax revenues, surtax allocations, or other sources.

Rissler said she expects those funding options to be presented to the commission in May and, once directed, will go before the county’s Tourist Development Council for review and comment. A public hearing would follow.

“Right now, as it stands, we're kind of four stops away,” Rissler said.