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Wiregrass Owners Serve Up 24 Acres For Tennis Center

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By JULIA FERRANTE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - The owners of Wiregrass Ranch have donated 24 acres next to Saddlebrook Resort to Pasco County, clearing the way for design and construction of the planned $7.9 million Pasco National Tennis Center.

The Porter family, which is developing other parts of the 5,500-acre ranch southeast of State Road 54 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, officially turned over the tennis stadium land Sept. 26, Michael Nurrenbrock, the county's director of management and budget, said this week.

The county attorney's office and Saddlebrook owner Tom Dempsey are negotiating design, construction and management contracts.

'As soon as that's done, we can move forward,' Dempsey said. 'I'm very pleased they got the land and that the Porters were generous enough to give the 24 acres.'

Plans call for a 5,000-seat stadium, 15 practice courts, ball fields and parking areas adjacent to Saddlebrook. Dempsey is to finance the $250,000 annual operating costs and run the tennis center through a nonprofit foundation.

The county commission in a split vote in 2002 agreed to allocate $5.7 million in tourism tax revenue to build a tennis stadium. The board pledged $2.2 million more to the project in March after permitting issues delayed the project and construction costs increased. A portion of a 2 percent 'bed tax' on hotel stays and short-term rentals in Pasco is dedicated to construction projects to boost tourism. The tennis stadium is the first such project in Pasco. County officials also are considering building a multipurpose sports park.

An attorney for Wiregrass, Joel Tew, told county officials several months ago the Porters did not want to close the tennis stadium deal until their larger plans for the ranch, including thousands of houses, a mall and office complexes, got county approval. That happened this summer, after two years of contentious negotiations.

Dempsey, who has owned Saddlebrook since 1988, has agreed to run the stadium for 10 years with the option to renew. Saddlebrook, east of Interstate 75, has been home to at least six tennis champions, including Pete Sampras.

Turner Construction, which built stadiums in New York for the U.S. Open, provided the initial design concept for the national tennis center, but the county by law must solicit construction bids from other companies, said Assistant County Attorney Jane Fagan, who is drafting the management and construction contracts.

Under the proposed terms, Dempsey would develop a management plan, and Rossetti Architects would design the tennis center, Fagan said. If the cost of the design and building is more than expected, Dempsey may put up more money - as much as 5 percent, or $300,000 - and pay it back to himself with stadium proceeds. If the costs exceed $8.2 million, either party may cancel the deal. In that case, the county would have to pay design costs of about $306,000.

Fagan said she hopes to present a contract to the county commission by the end of the calendar year. After the agreements are approved, Rossetti may proceed with design, and county officials may solicit construction bids. Fagan was not sure how long it would take to build the stadium but said construction could begin within a year.

'We're so excited we have the property,' Fagan said. 'We are so appreciative of the Porters donating it. We think it is a great location and a great venue.'

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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