Voters may soon have a say in whether an indoor fieldhouse and a multipurpose sports field complex should be built in Palm Beach County to boost sports tourism and possibly attract another professional sports franchise.
County commissioners recently authorized the County Parks Department to prepare a $280 million bond issue to build new parks and upgrade existing ones.
Included in the list of tentative projects are two large sports complexes that could land the county a NFL flag football franchise. The two facilities, tentatively slotted to each receive $12.5 million, would involve an indoor fieldhouse and large outdoor sports complex.
Voters will decide whether to approve the bond issue in November.
County Administrator Joe Abruzzo recently told county commissioners that he has already discussed the possibility of a Palm Beach County franchise with TMRW, a company chosen by the NFL to help develop the league.
TMRW operates an indoor golf league in Palm Beach Gardens. Among its backers is pro golfer Tiger Woods.
The county commission has authorized a market demand and financial feasibility study be undertaken to determine if the projects should move forward. Potential sites will also be identified. County Commissioner Joel Flores urged that the study focus on whether the large indoor fieldhouse could be a venue for flag football.
Report says investment in indoor sports arena could easily pay for itself
A record 9.9 million visitors came to Palm Beach County in 2025, and the 6% bed tax, imposed on short-term rentals and hotel stays, generated $94 million.
“A major sports and entertainment arena can attract hundreds of thousands of annual attendees, generate regional and national media attention, spur significant private investment, and support thousands of permanent and seasonal jobs across entertainment, hospitality, and service industries,” according to the county’s recently approved Tourism Master Plan, which noted that Palm Beach County remains Florida’s largest county without a major indoor sports or entertainment venue capable of hosting large-scale professional events.
The Tourism Master Plan envisions the Parks Department and the Tourist Development Council working together to position Palm Beach County as a premier sports tourism hub. The facilities would be available to county residents when they are not being used for special events.
Minnesota-based CSL International, the Tourism Master Plan’s author, has been instructed to determine whether building the new sports complexes makes sense for the county.
The indoor facility would be designed to host professional and semi-professional sports such as the NBA G-League, ECHL hockey, WNBA, or indoor soccer.
It would also be capable of hosting regional, national, and international youth and amateur tournaments across a variety of sports, including volleyball, basketball, futsal, wrestling, gymnastics, pickleball, and cheerleading. Youth and amateur sports represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism economy, according to CSL, noting, Palm Beach County is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend.
In addition, on a local basis, the venue would also support community engagement through youth leagues, graduations, expos, and charitable events, ensuring continuous use and broad public benefit, the master plan report stated.
The outdoor multi-sport complex would also host major youth and amateur tournaments, collegiate competitions and spectator events. It would generate up to 500,000 incremental room nights annually through sports tourism and create about 2,000 jobs.
The bond issue funds, though, would represent just a small part of the overall funds needed to build the sports facilities. Other sources of funds could include state and federal grants and bed-tax revenue.
CSL expects the costs to range between $310 million and $385 million to be spent over 10 years. It could cost more than $30 million a year to operate the facilities.
But CSL concluded it could be money well spent, generating $350 million to $450 million in new annual visitor spending by year 10.
“The initiative will create world-class facilities that attract regional and national events while improving recreation access for residents. This alignment ensures that every new field, court, and aquatic venue serves both community wellness and economic opportunity,” according to the Tourism Master Plan.
A key challenge is that many communities are nearing buildout, leaving little developable land for expanding tourism infrastructure, according to the Tourism Master Plan. Indoor sports complexes also require significant upfront investment and yearly operating costs, it noted.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County voters to decide on $280M sports complex bond
Reporting by Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
