Manatee County is moving closer to a deal for a privately built indoor ice and sports multiplex at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, advancing a project county leaders say could strengthen the region’s sports tourism economy without relying on property tax dollars.
Icemann Development LLC has proposed privately designing, financing, building, maintaining and operating the facility to bolster sports amenities offered at the Premier campus — which has become a major sports tourism draw to the area over the years.
The project, known as Project Grace, is expected to cost between $70 million and $80 million to construct, and county officials are considering a reimbursement from up to $5 million in available tourism tax dollars to cover the cost of needed infrastructure to support the project.
Icemann’s portfolio includes several Tampa Bay-area sports facilities, including TGH Iceplex in Brandon, which the company identifies as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s training home, and AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, a more than 150,000-square-foot facility with three NHL-sized ice pads, one Olympic-sized pad and a mini rink.
Under the proposed terms, Icemann would receive an initial 60-year lease on about 22 acres of county-owned land at Premier Sports Campus North and an option for one additional 30-year extension if the company complies with lease requirements.
The company would pay $1 per year for the first three years, but rent would increase to $100,000 per year starting in Year 4 and increase by 2% annually beginning in Year 5.
The proposal would include four sheets of ice, including one with about 2,500 permanent seats, along with food and beverage service, apparel, pro shop and retail space, orthopedic and medical services, athletic training and an attached paid parking garage, Manatee County Chair Tal Siddique told Florida Politics.
If built, the venue could host hockey, figure skating and curling, but county documents also describe potential use for other indoor sports and events like basketball, volleyball, cheer and dance competitions, consumer shows, tournaments, community events and emergency shelter.
“The idea behind this new one at Premier Sports Campus was to lean into our strength, which is sports tourism, whether we’re talking about IMG Academy in south Bradenton or talking about a professional soccer team in Lakewood Ranch — the Sarasota Paradise,” Siddique said.
Tourist development taxes, often called bed taxes, are generated through hotel stays and short-term vacation rentals and are restricted under state law to support tourism-related uses, including sports facilities and events that draw visitors.
Siddique explained that tourism tax dollars would reimburse costs such as civil engineering, design, site work, utility and drainage improvements, landscaping, access improvements and an 800-space paid parking garage.
He added that the ice multiplex would give local families a new amenity while also attracting youth tournaments, camps and other sports events that could generate more tourist tax revenue in the future.
“It contributes to the hotel bed tax, because people are coming from out of town staying in hotels,” Siddique said. “Lastly, it just improves the quality of life in the county. People see that kind of amenity and they want to move their family here, move their business here or start new businesses, and I think that’s a good thing for the county.”
Project Grace is currently going through the site plan approval process and has not been fully approved by the county.
The proposal builds on county investments tied to the buildout of Premier Sports Campus North. Commissioners approved a general development plan for the property in November that allows for public and recreational uses including a library, EMS station, aquatic center, dog park, ballfields, racquetball, tennis, trails, playgrounds and other facilities. Siddique said several other improvements are also already underway, including a new aquatic center, pickleball courts and a Sheriff’s Office substation.
Siddique said ice sports are a natural extension to other existing sports tourism assets, including IMG Academy and other facilities at the Premier Sports Campus, particularly as hockey has grown across the Tampa Bay region.
“It’s really the Lightning, and credit to the Tampa Bay Lightning for their success, but that’s bled into youth sports,” Siddique said. “Ice hockey has just become a massive sport for teenagers in high school.”