Residents living near Premier Sports Campus North cheered as commissioners unanimously ended negotiations on Sept. 1 with Wesley Chapel-based IceMann Development LLC to build an $80 million, 22-acre indoor sports multiplex with four ice rinks.
Neighbors wearing red shirts to the commission meeting had persuaded elected officials to freeze the project on July 28 to find a new location that was not so close to a residential area, citing increased traffic and noise and presenting a 1,200-signature petition against the project.
Developer Gordon Zimmerman, CEO and co-founder of IceMann, is not interested in a different location within Manatee County, commissioners learned on Sept. 1.
“Premier Park is the park and that’s where we would like to put the facility,” said Zimmerman, whose company designed and managed Ice Sports Forum, now TGH Iceplex, a practice facility for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is co-owner of AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, among other sports projects.
Project Grace, planned at the county-owned Premier Park in Lakewood Ranch east of I-75 and north of S.R. 70, was to provide four ice rinks, hard courts for other sports, a concert venue, a parking garage and other public spaces.
Commissioners had voted on June 16 to begin the paperwork on the lease, business terms and an operating agreement. The county would have gained 20% of the income from an 800-space parking garage and IceMann would have benefited by a $1-a-year lease for three years, then a $100,000-a-year lease for two more years with 2% annual rent increases for the remainder of a 60-year lease.
The county was also ready to use $5 million in tourist tax funds to reimburse IceMann for stormwater and parking infrastructure. The county’s tourism director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione, worked closely on promoting the project.
Competition expanding
Some commissioners reiterated earlier concerns that the project would place the county in competition with a private business, Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex, 5309 29th St. E., which has hosted Olympic figure skaters and hockey tournaments, has two NHL-size ice rinks, a 13,500-square-foot indoor roller/ball hockey rink, gym, fitness studio, dance studio, off-ice training gym and plans to expand.
“I just don’t believe that we need to be competing with private industry,” Commissioner Jason Bearden said.
Commission Chair Tal Siddique interrupted Bearden, who responded, “I’m not going to be rushed into a major investment that we’re about to make.” Siddique interrupted again, and Bearden responded, “Please don’t interrupt me and please don’t cut me off.” The microphones went dead and Siddique called a recess as Commissioner Bob McCann stood up to protest. Upon resuming the meeting, Siddique apologized directly to McCann, saying he had wrongly interpreted the time limit rules for speakers. Bearden declined to continue.
McCann then criticized county staff for not bringing different locations back to the board for consideration as requested by the board on July 28.
The applicant doesn’t want to look at another site, Director of Development Services Nicole Knapp responded.
“We evaluated other sites but we’ll have to wait for another applicant,” she said.
Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex owner Matt Smith thanked commissioners for their decision against Project Grace, and said that he expected his plans to be approved within two weeks for a state-of-the-art facility near I-75 with an NHL-level training center and a third sheet of ice.
“We’re going to add 30% more ice to Manatee County and I think that’s enough,” he said.