Wiregrass Ranch athletic fields and facilities begin to take shape

Six months after Pasco County commissioners voted to approve a $15 million construction contract to start the long-overdue second phase of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, county officials say they are making good progress.

This phase was originally supposed to be done when the main campus opened in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic and cost overruns. It includes five athletic fields, concession and rest room facilities, parking, roads, trails and other site work.

The work was part of the promise the county made when developer J.D. Porter donated the land to build the complex. Last year, Porter had escalated his concerns about the unfinished park, pushing county officials to get the work started. The concern surfaced again earlier this month when Porter was at a public event touting his new plans for the broader Wiregrass development.

This week Pasco County Administrator Mike Carballa responded to a county commissioner’s question about the status of Wiregrass Ranch park work. He said that county staff and Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein had met with Porter and “the meeting went very well, collegial and cordial,” Carballa said. He added that the county and Porter are “all working together on the same mutual goals.”

County spokesperson Sarah Andeara told the Tampa Bay Times in a written statement: “Pasco County and the Porter family have a mutual interest in the success of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus and the Wiregrass development. The county believes both parties remain committed to honoring the intent of their agreements.”

The pressure to get the new fields and facilities moving come just a couple of months after Pasco parted ways with RADDSports, the management company hired in 2017 to operate the modern sports campus.

The 80-acre site is centered around a 98,000-square-foot gymnasium that houses eight basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts, 16 pickleball courts, eight futsal courts, two cheer competition areas, a competition cheer studio, an athletic training area, a mezzanine overlooking the various activities and a restaurant.

The relationship between the county and RADDSports had soured over time. The city claimed in court filings that RADDSports had not done enough to promote sports tourism, focusing too much on local sporting events. The Wiregrass Ranch Campus had been funded through $29 million in tourism taxes, which are bed taxes from local lodging that are supposed to be used to attract more visitors.

Now, with a year under their belts managing the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, Andeara said the county is seeing gains in that area.

Since the county took over operations of the sports complex, competitors at the complex and their families have booked approximately 11,000 nights in Pasco hotels, Andeara said. It’s forecasting that events held there in 2024 will result in 21,000 hotel nights booked.

“This projection underscores the anticipated growth and continued significance of the venue in attracting visitors and driving tourism in the region,” she said.

Last week, the Tourist Development Council got a look at some of the new pictures of work going on at the campus. Building was underway on the restroom and concession area and site clearing and preparing was evident on the aerial photos,

Parking has continued to be a discussion for those who attend events at the campus but Andeara said more parking is coming.