MARTIN COUNTY — Martin County High School football stadium is getting a new name: Napoli Orthodontics Stadium. It’s part of the naming-rights program the School Board adopted earlier this year.
But the deal comes with a lot less money than the school district was hoping to rake in.
The Stuart orthodontics practice agreed to a five-year deal, approved unanimously by the School Board Sept. 16. But it’s more than 84% less than the original pitch presented to the board for the naming rights.
Napoli Orthodontics will pay the district $60,000 annually, or $5,000 a month, through August 2030 for the stadium naming rights, according to the agreement. The amount is significantly less than the $7,499 weekly — $389,948 a year — district consultants initially pitched in March as the amount that could be generated from selling naming rights.
School Board member Brian Moriarty questioned why the agreement was much lower than even the $140,000 the board expected for the naming rights.
Mark Cowles, district coordinator of executive initiatives, explained the cost was adjusted after reviewing the going rates for other similar sites.
“It’s a supply-and-demand thing,” Cowles said, comparing it to selling a home. “If you don’t have offers out there, you start to lower your price.”
The money will be divided among all district schools, with Martin County High School receiving 25% of the $60,000, the School Board decided. South Fork and Jensen Beach high schools each will receive 10% and the five middle schools 5% each. The 12 elementary schools will share 20% of the money, and 10% will go to the district general fund.
The school district will continue to pursue the sale of naming rights to other facilities.
Every future naming-rights agreement will be brought to the board because the distribution of money might change, Superintendent Michael Maine said. The individual school or district might need that revenue for a special project, he said.
Tebo Partnerships of Pennsylvania was hired in 2024 to pursue naming-rights opportunities and valuate the district’s schools and facilities. Tebo considered traffic around the school’s community, school size and attendance at school events to determine valuation.
Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Naming rights for Martin County High School stadium fall flat; board OKs $60,000 deal
Reporting by Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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