Title:
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Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Event Series Tourist Tax Funding Agreement with Perfect Game USA, Inc., in the amount of $463,337.82 for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. District5 - Herr (Gui Cunha, Economic Development & Tourism Director)
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Division:
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Office of Economic Development and Tourism - Tourism
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Authorized By:
Gui Cunha, Economic Development & Tourism Director
Contact/Phone Number:
Gui Cunha/407-665-2901
Background:
Seminole County Government and Perfect Game USA, Inc., (Perfect Game) entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 28, 2020, designating Perfect Game as a preferred operator at the Seminole County Boombah Sports Complex. As part of this MOU, the County agreed to provide Perfect Game with an annual facility use agreement and a grant funding agreement for the use of the Sports Complex. The MOU affords Perfect Game the same opportunity for hotel room night incentives provided to other tournament organizers via the County’s Sports Tourism/Incentive Grant Program. Last year in 2024, Perfect Game hosted thirty-one events at the Boombah Sports Complex that drove in over 68,000 visitors and generated over $25 million dollars in economic impact. Perfect Game events accounted for over 70 percent of the total economic impact generated at the Boombah Sports Complex in 2024.
Seminole County’s Sports Tourism Incentive Program is an authorized use of Tourist Development Tax (TDT) Funds, per Section 125.0104, Florida Statutes. The program provides grants to tournament organizations based on hotel room night generation in Seminole County. These incentives support Seminole County facility rentals, in this case rental fees for the Boombah Sports Complex which are paid directly to the Sports Complex. Funds are not awarded until a post-event analysis is performed by staff. The incentive is based on the total number of Seminole County hotel room nights generated by these events. An established $15 per room night multiplier is calculated. Room nights must be verified by both the event organizer and Seminole County Tourism staff.
Like the funding agreement for fiscal year 2024/25, and to streamline the process for Perfect Game events, an annual funding agreement is recommended for the thirty-one Perfect Game events scheduled to take place between Fiscal Year 2025/26. This funding agreement appropriates TDT revenues as operating funds to host the Perfect Game USA Fiscal Year 2025/26 Event Series. Up to $463,337.82 in TDT revenues shall be used to pay a portion of facility fees at Boombah Sports Complex for the Fiscal Year 2025/26 events, as described in the attached exhibits.
Following the Sports Tourism Incentive Program, Perfect Game must complete a Tourist Tax Funding Grant Application for the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Event Series. The application includes an estimated total room night goal. Funding will be awarded by the County only following a post-event analysis, which requires Perfect Game to submit the total hotel room nights produced resulting from these events. Only those verified Seminole County room nights will be eligible for the $15 per room night incentive funding. If Perfect Game does not generate enough hotel rooms for the grant to cover the full cost of the facility rental for these events, then Perfect Game will be required to pay the County for any additional balance owed just as they have done in previous years. Perfect Game is projecting these thirty-one Perfect Game baseball events will generate a minimum of 23,247 documented county hotel rooms and produce an economic impact of an estimated $31 million dollars in economic impact benefiting Seminole County businesses.
Requested Action:
Staff requests the Board approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Event Series Tourist Tax Funding Agreement with Perfect Game USA, Inc., in the amount of $463,337.82 for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.