Interoffice Memorandum
DATE: March 27, 2025
TO: Mayor Jerry L. Demings
THROUGH: N/A
FROM: Ray Walls, Deputy Director, Orange County Convention Center
CONTACT: Ray Walls
PHONE: 407-685-5684
DIVISION: Fiscal and Operational Support Division
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approval of the Tourist Development Tax Sports Incentive Committee’s recommendations for sports incentive funding pursuant to the terms and conditions of funding agreements between Visit Orlando and the following applicants and authorization for Visit Orlando to enter into such agreements as follows: (1) $25,000 to the Kindred Pride Foundation to be used for marketing expenses for The Pride Cup - 2025; (2) $40,000 to the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to offset bid fees for the 2026 USA Fencing October North America Cup; (3) $400,000 to the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to offset bid fees for the 2025 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships; (4) $18,000,000 to the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to offset bid fees for a series of four World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and Ultimate Fighting Championship events to be held between 2026 and 2031; (5) up to $11,000,000 to Florida Citrus Sports for bid fees for the 2027 Jacksonville Jaguars Home Football Season. (Fiscal and Operational Support Division)
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PROJECT: Sports Incentive Committee Funding Request
PURPOSE: On November 1, 2016, the Board authorized consolidated sports funding under the tourist development plan for incentivizing sporting events in Orange County venues. Since 2017, Visit Orlando has provided professional assistance in evaluating sports incentive funding proposals before the Tourist Development Tax Sports Incentive Committee (SIC). Sports incentive funds are held in a separate Visit Orlando account. On October 22, 2019, the Board approved a new tourism promotion agreement pursuant to which Visit Orlando now administers the evaluation of proposals and enters into funding agreements with applicants after the SIC funding recommendations have been approved by the Board. On May 21, 2024, the Board approved an amendment to the 2019 agreement with Visit Orlando whereby Visit Orlando will fund up to $10 million annually for incentivizing sporting events as part of this program and allowing that amount to grow in fiscal year 2028 based on increasing Tourist Development Tax collections.
At its March 24, 2025 meeting, the SIC recommended approval of five funding requests after hearing presentations from the respective applicants. Visit Orlando’s staff also provided an evaluation of the proposals for consideration by the SIC.
The Pride Cup - 2025
The SIC recommended approval of the Kindred Pride Foundation’s request of $25,000 to be used for marketing for The Pride Cup LGBTQ+ multi-sport tournament to be held at various public and private venues across Orange County May 30 through June 1, 2025, coinciding with Gay Disney. The event is held annually and will attract about 1,500 athletes and 1,000 spectators to seven different sporting events. Room night projections are 1,480 and the estimated economic impact of the event is approximately $1.4M.
2026 USA Fencing October North America Cup
The SIC recommended approval of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission’s (GOSC) request of $40,000 to offset the bid fees for the 2026 USA Fencing October North America Cup event to be held at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) October 15 through18, 2026. The event, hosted by USA fencing, which is the national governing body for the sport, is the first national event on the calendar annually for both men and women in a variety of age groups, with Division I featuring Olympic level fencers being the mainstay. Attendance for the event is expected to be 15,700, with a generation of 5,000 room nights, and an economic impact of approximately $5.2 million.
2025 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships
The SIC recommended approval of the GOSC’s request of $400,000 to offset the bid fees for the 2025 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships event to be held at the OCCC June 13-July 7, 2025. The event is the largest youth volleyball event in the world, as certified by Guinness World Records. It attracts girls and boys teams ages 10 through 18 from across the United States, along with numerous international teams. Unique attendance, including athletes, coaches, and spectators, is estimated at more than 300,000. Room night generation is estimated at 228,000 and the estimated economic impact of the event is estimated at $260M.
TKO Orlando Event Series
The SIC recommended approval of the GOSC’s request of $18,000,000 to offset the bid fees for four marquee events under the umbrella of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., the company resulting from the merger of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) and Zuffa, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), to be held in Orlando over the course of five years. The proposed events include WWE Royal Rumble, WWE Wrestlemania, UFC Fall Marquee Pay-Per-View, and either a WWE Survivor Series or a WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. The events would all be held at Kia Center and/or Camping World Stadium on various dates between 2026 and 2031. The bid fee would be for the package of events and paid out on a to-be-negotiated per event basis over time and based on the actual occurrence of each event. Total combined attendance for the four events is estimated at 300,000 with an estimated room night generation of 120,000 and an estimated economic impact of $225M.
2027 Jacksonville Jaguars Home Football Season
The SIC recommended approval of Florida Citrus Sports’ request of up to $11,000,000 to be used as bid fees for hosting a minimum of eight Jacksonville Jaguars home games at Camping World Stadium in 2027. The bid fee consists of $10,000,000 for the minimum of eight home games and an additional $500,000 per home game (maximum of $1,000,000) should the Jaguars qualify for the post-season. The Jaguars stadium in Jacksonville will be undergoing renovations during the 2027 season requiring that the team play at an alternate location. Currently under consideration are playing games at Florida Field in Gainesville, Florida, Camping World Stadium, holding games in Europe, or a combination thereof. The Jaguars will make a recommendation and the final determination will be made by a vote of NFL team owners. Total combined attendance for eight games is estimated at 520,000 (65,000 per game) with an estimated room night generation of 120,000 (15,000 per game) and an estimated total economic impact of $160M ($20M per game).
BUDGET: N/A