Background and Summary

In 2014, the Florida Legislature enacted the Sports Development Statute for “[t]he purpose of … provid[ing] applicants state funding … for the public purpose of constructing, reconstructing, renovating, or improving a [sports] facility.”  § 288.11625, Florida Statutes. 

The Statute tasks the Department of Economic Opportunity with screening applications and provides two distinct application processes.  The general application and approval process, found in subsection (4), includes a competitive evaluation and ranking component.  The special application process, found in subsection (11), modifies the general application and approval process by providing a separate process for any applications for new facilities or projects commenced between March 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014.  The special application process specifically omits a competitive evaluation and ranking component and also permits the Legislative Budget Commission, rather than the Legislature, to “approve” applications.  All pending applications (City of Jacksonville, City of Orlando, Daytona International Speedway, LLC, and South Florida Stadium LLC) fall under the special application process and therefore do not require ranking by the Department.

Under either application process, it is not the Department’s role to allocate funding; that is a decision the Statute explicitly reserves for the Legislature under the general application process and for the Legislative Budget Commission under the special application process.  A Department recommendation under the special application process is not a subjective determination by DEO that an applicant’s project will have a positive economic impact, but is simply a certification that the statutory criteria are met, as noted in the Department’s transmittal letter to the Legislature dated January 23, 2015.

For the complete memo, please visit http://floridajobs.org/office-directory/division-of-strategic-business-development/about-strategic-business-development/sports-development-program.


Contact: DEO Communications, 850.617.5600, media@deo.myflorida.com