Seminole County hotels to charge nightly fee for sports complex funds
By Luis-Alfredo Garcia
March 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM EDT
Hotel visitors throughout Seminole County can expect a new charge on their bill.
The County Commission approved the fee Tuesday to help fund a $60 million indoor sports complex near the existing Boombah Sports Complex in Sanford.
County commissioners unanimously approved the $1.75 nightly per-room fee for tourism properties with 60 or more rooms within the county’s Tourism Improvement District. The district was established for a 10-year term.
Hotel-goers will start to pay this assessment April 1, in addition to the existing 5% tourist development tax and 7% sales tax.
County staff listed nearly 40 qualifying hotels in the new district, including the Hilton Orlando in Altamonte Springs and the Days Inn by Wyndham in Fern Park.
The nightly fee applies to 5,054 hotel rooms. And even if a room is unoccupied, hotels will still have to pay the daily charge.
Just over half — or 53.9% — of the impacted hoteliers in the district signed a petition in support of the plan.
The county expects to collect at least $3.2 million per year.
Robert Agrusa, president and CEO of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, said investing in sports tourism will help county residents and hoteliers.
“It will transform Seminole County into being a premiere sports destination,” he said.
The county’s current sport venues, which include the Boombah Sports Complex and Seminole Softball Complex, bring in a good chunk of Seminole County’s tourists. Just last fiscal year, the county hosted more than 90 sporting events that brought in $59 million and more than 185,000 visitors, according to county reports.
Since opening in 2016, the Boombah Sports Complex has generated more than 127,000 room nights for hotels in the county and generated more than $251 million in total economic impact, according to county officials. This economic impact includes money that tourists spend at local businesses like hotels, restaurants and stores.
Although the structure is slated as a sports complex, it could host a slew of events beyond sports, including theatrical performances, concerts and graduations.
Seminole County’s high school graduations are typically held at the University of Central Florida or Orange County Convention Center, both outside the county.
Kristen Oswald, general manager of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Altamonte Springs said she wasn’t sure the assessment would benefit her hotel specifically but came around on the idea.
“The building needs to be as versatile as possible to hold as many guests as possible, and I think it can get done,” she said.
In Orange County, Ocoee is also looking to steal a base in the sports complex game. City commissioners moved forward with a $1 billion sports complex last month.
Like the complex planned in Seminole County’s, it’s looking to draw in extra sports tourism and pry athletes away from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Osceola County.
Construction there is set to end in 2027, and the complex will span 150 acres, or the equivalent of 113 football fields. The indoor portion will cover about 150,000 square feet.
Seminole County’s complex would sit on about 28 acres and span 140,000 square feet.
The hotel fee will be collected monthly by the county tax collector, but fee revenue and execution will be overseen by the tourism improvement district’s seven-member advisory board.
The TID is just the second of its kind in the state, but there are around 200 throughout the country.
Hotels will have to educate guests to avoid any bill confusion, Agrusa said. “It’ll happen over the next six months to a year, but once people see the construction happening, it’ll make a lot more sense,” he said.
The County Commission is planning a work session on the sports complex in June.
The County Commission approved the fee Tuesday to help fund a $60 million indoor sports complex near the existing Boombah Sports Complex in Sanford.
County commissioners unanimously approved the $1.75 nightly per-room fee for tourism properties with 60 or more rooms within the county’s Tourism Improvement District. The district was established for a 10-year term.
Hotel-goers will start to pay this assessment April 1, in addition to the existing 5% tourist development tax and 7% sales tax.
County staff listed nearly 40 qualifying hotels in the new district, including the Hilton Orlando in Altamonte Springs and the Days Inn by Wyndham in Fern Park.
The nightly fee applies to 5,054 hotel rooms. And even if a room is unoccupied, hotels will still have to pay the daily charge.
Just over half — or 53.9% — of the impacted hoteliers in the district signed a petition in support of the plan.
The county expects to collect at least $3.2 million per year.
Robert Agrusa, president and CEO of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, said investing in sports tourism will help county residents and hoteliers.
“It will transform Seminole County into being a premiere sports destination,” he said.
The county’s current sport venues, which include the Boombah Sports Complex and Seminole Softball Complex, bring in a good chunk of Seminole County’s tourists. Just last fiscal year, the county hosted more than 90 sporting events that brought in $59 million and more than 185,000 visitors, according to county reports.
Since opening in 2016, the Boombah Sports Complex has generated more than 127,000 room nights for hotels in the county and generated more than $251 million in total economic impact, according to county officials. This economic impact includes money that tourists spend at local businesses like hotels, restaurants and stores.
Although the structure is slated as a sports complex, it could host a slew of events beyond sports, including theatrical performances, concerts and graduations.
Seminole County’s high school graduations are typically held at the University of Central Florida or Orange County Convention Center, both outside the county.
Kristen Oswald, general manager of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Altamonte Springs said she wasn’t sure the assessment would benefit her hotel specifically but came around on the idea.
“The building needs to be as versatile as possible to hold as many guests as possible, and I think it can get done,” she said.
In Orange County, Ocoee is also looking to steal a base in the sports complex game. City commissioners moved forward with a $1 billion sports complex last month.
Like the complex planned in Seminole County’s, it’s looking to draw in extra sports tourism and pry athletes away from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Osceola County.
Construction there is set to end in 2027, and the complex will span 150 acres, or the equivalent of 113 football fields. The indoor portion will cover about 150,000 square feet.
Seminole County’s complex would sit on about 28 acres and span 140,000 square feet.
The hotel fee will be collected monthly by the county tax collector, but fee revenue and execution will be overseen by the tourism improvement district’s seven-member advisory board.
The TID is just the second of its kind in the state, but there are around 200 throughout the country.
Hotels will have to educate guests to avoid any bill confusion, Agrusa said. “It’ll happen over the next six months to a year, but once people see the construction happening, it’ll make a lot more sense,” he said.
The County Commission is planning a work session on the sports complex in June.