The proposed Orlando City Soccer Club stadium cleared its first hurdle yesterday, as the Orlando city council voted unanimously for an $84 million stadium plan that would use $20 million in city funds, $20 million in county funds, $30 million from the team and $14 million from … they don’t seem to be saying where, though it could be the “annual payments for the next 25 years” that the team would be committing to.
That’s not actually all that big news, since unanimous approval was expected from the city. It’s the county commission where there’s opposition, including that guy who thinks that if the public hands over money to a private team, it should get a share of the profits, too. That vote won’t come until October 22, by which point hopefully the plan’s boosters — or at least the papers covering it — will be able to make their numbers add up.
The Sentinel didn’t do so much as acknowledge the fact that skeptics to this stadium deal existed until it was first announced back in August. I’m not holding my breath on them working out the financials behind it before the county commission inevitably rubber-stamps this deal.
The article also mentioned that the team won’t be paying any rent, and will only be required to make those aforementioned “annual payments.” I would assume that those payments won’t be toward making up the rest of the stadium costs and will instead be made in lieu of actual rent, if that makes sense. It’s really anyone’s guess where the remainder of the $$ is coming from, or even how much they’ll actually be paying per year.
Nobody will ever convince me that committing public money on a THIRD sports venue in town, just a few years after we sunk millions of tax dollars into the Amway Center and the Citrus Bowl, is anything other than utterly reckless.
I’m curious – what’s the reason/alleged reason that a Citrus Bowl renovation isn’t acceptable?
BFR-
Their reasoning is that it’s too big, but if the capacity is lowered, they’ll lose the two bowl games.
I’m not an anti-public funds extremist, but I agree with 90% of what this site stands for. I wasn’t comfortable, but saw the argument for a new arena. (although the argument I saw was nowhere near the same argument the team and city was making. The crammed concourses, 4 bathrooms, and 30 seat rows of the old arena were uncomfortable for a season ticket holder like myself)
I don’t agree, but GET the argument behind spending $200 mil on the Citrus Bowl.
The soccer stadium? I’m baffled it directly competes with the Citrus Bowl.
Joe: I guess the idea is that the new stadium could host events that are too big to hold at the Citrus Bowl.
Oh wait, we already have the Amway Center for that…
Kel,
the new stadium could not possibly hold events that are too big for the Citrus Bowl, as the Citrus Bowl has about three times the capacity of the proposed soccer stadium. It COULD host international friendlies, MLS championship games, that sort of thing. Soccer is traditionally played on grass and turf is highly frowned upon. The Citrus Bowl has turf; the new stadium would have grass. As for the arena; if you could play a soccer match in there, I’d be all for giving it a try. What the hell? No sense in it going to waste. But you can’t, because it’s too small.
BFR; the Citrus Bowl IS getting renovated. Or at least it will be if the Orange County vote goes through. The MLS is being a stick in the mud about the Citrus Bowl because soccer matches don’t generally draw 70,000 people and the stadium looks like a giant cavernous empty space. Also, turf instead of grass. Though I’m a Lions fan and I would very much like to see a proper soccer stadium built, I don’t really mind the Citrus Bowl, either.
@ the author. The missing $14 million (as far as I understand) would NOT come from the team’s annual payments deal. That’s where $10 million of their total $30 million commitment comes from. Seminole County is contributing $2 million, but that still leaves $12 million of mystery money. I too would like to know where the hell that money’s going to come from.