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James Talton

Vision still needed for Wiregrass sports complex

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Pasco County commissioners were introduced to a study that recommends building a multi-use indoor sports complex on parkland near The Shops at Wiregrass.

But a more in-depth review between the Tourism Development Council and the commissioners will have to wait for a public workshop slated for late October or early November.

At the Sept. 22 commissioners’ meeting, Charlie Johnson, president of Chicago-based Johnson Consulting Co., spent a few minutes going over the firm’s report, officially released in August.

“Economically, you’re healthy,” Johnson told commissioners. “I think it’s (indoor facility) very positive and trends are very supportive of this.”

In addition to the indoor complex, ball fields also would be built outdoors, but the focus, at least initially, would be on such indoor sports as volleyball, basketball, wrestling, cheerleading and martial arts.

Johnson cited facilities in Round Rock, Texas, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as examples of municipalities with successful indoor facilities.

The Porter family donated more than 200 acres near the Wiregrass mall in 2012 with a stipulation that if a sports complex didn’t happen, then a park would be developed.

But, just what to put on the land has eluded the county ever since.

Last year, a proposal from Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between James Talton and former major league baseball player Gary Sheffield, fell apart over financial issues. The project would have included a youth baseball camp, with 20 ball fields and on-site dormitories.

The feasibility study, however, dismisses baseball as a good option.

“This site is very attractive. The market is robust enough to support some type of facility.” Johnson said. “But, baseball and soccer are really quite built-out throughout the state.”

The study suggests that Pasco would be competing, for instance, with a $27 million complex proposed in Seminole County. The complex would include 15 ball fields for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.

Within the past week, a proposal to build an Atlanta Braves training facility in St. Petersburg has emerged. The project also would include a youth baseball component. The Gary Sheffield Sports Foundation is one of the partners in the project with the Atlanta Braves.

Some commissioners have suggested that the Porter family has concerns about the feasibility study.

“I think there is going to be some negative feelings on this by the Porters,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said she had spoken with family members, and they would be invited to participate in the upcoming workshop.

“We’re committed to a very engaged and active dialogue,” Baker said.

Published September 30, 2015

Will Wiregrass sports complex be indoors?

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The best use for a proposed 100-acre Wiregrass Sports Park is an indoor, multi-use complex, according to a study done by Chicago-based Johnson Consulting Co.

A few outdoor playing fields should be built, the consultants say, but they conclude that indoor sports such as basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading and martial arts are the most profitable wave of the future.

The study cites other municipalities with success in similar ventures including Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Round Rock, Texas; and Foley, Alabama.

Mike Moore
Mike Moore

Indoor facilities operate year-round, and successful ones typically are unique to their geographic area, the study found.

Pasco County commissioners will discuss the study, and the county’s options for developing the parkland, at their Sept. 22 meeting.

The land for the park is part of more than 200 acres donated to the county by the Porter family, and is located near The Shops at Wiregrass.

Several Pasco County commissioners reported at their Sept. 8 meeting that J.D. Porter has raised questions about the study. There are concerns, they said, about future residential development on Wiregrass Ranch property and the need for open space for new residents.

“I think they were counting on this field being available,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader.

J.D. Porter could not be reached for comment.

“I don’t think they (the Porter family) feel like they are in the loop,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. “I think people are really anxious to see what’s going to happen.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said the study, as well as details on the history of the parkland, is part of the upcoming discussion.

Plans to put the study on the commissioners’ meeting agenda were delayed by the county’s flooding crisis.

(From Pasco County Sports Complex Feasibility Study)
(From Pasco County Sports Complex Feasibility Study)

“We never intended this to be something you would rubber stamp,” she said. “There is a conversation that needs to occur.”

Commissioners hired Johnson Consulting Co., in March, to complete a $35,000 feasibility study on the best use of the land and how to achieve the county’s goals of building a sports tourism facility.

One proposed venture already has failed.

Pasco Sports, a partnership between James Talton and former major league baseball player Gary Sheffield, had proposed a youth baseball camp, with 20 ball fields and dormitories on site.

They wanted the county to commit between $11 million and $14 million in tourism dollars. But Talton and Sheffield let a December 2014 deadline pass without following through on a $3 million pledge to the project.

And, it turns out that baseball isn’t a winning game for Pasco, according to the consultants’ study.

That kind of development would have to compete with a $27 million sports complex in Seminole County. Plans there are for 15 fields for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.

“Also, the Florida marketplace is becoming saturated with outdoor complexes, especially for baseball,” the study found.

Instead, Johnson Consulting proposes an indoor facility between 85,000 square feet and 100,000 square feet, with room for expansion.

They envision between six and eight basketball courts that would convert to as many as 16 volleyball courts. There also would be a seating area for up to 750 spectators, locker rooms, and between four and six multipurpose rooms.

A health care partnership with an area hospital or health care provider also is recommended.

Published September 16, 2015

Pasco commissioners approve a study for Wiregrass Sports Park

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Pasco County commissioners are in a quandary about the fate of the proposed Wiregrass Sports Park. Should they try again to work a deal for a world-class sports complex or build a district park for local sports teams?

Commissioners voted 4-1 on March 10 to take a wait-and-see approach with a feasibility study that will gauge the market for a sports complex with the potential to draw national tournaments, and yield millions in tourism tax dollars.

Jack Mariano (File Photo)
Jack Mariano
(File Photo)

The results also could show that the county’s money is better spent on a park that caters to local sports teams.

The study is intended to give county officials, residents and potential park operators an idea of what will work at the park site, located near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard off State Road 56.

“We think we’ll get the ability to expedite (the process) because people will understand it better, and we think the quality of applications will improve,” said Richard Gehring, the county’s planning and development administrator.

Johnson Consulting Inc., a sports consulting firm with national and international clients, will be paid $35,000 for the study, expected to take less than 12 weeks.

The study will include marketing and needs assessments as well as recommendations on development costs, operating and financial responsibilities, and funding options.

“I think it’s time to move forward,” said Commissioner Mike Moore. “It’s a positive. People in my district want to see it sooner rather than later.”

Commissioner Jack Mariano voted against the study. Instead of spending money on a study, he said county officials should explore why the deal with Pasco Sports LLC to build a multimillion-dollar sports complex fell apart.

“I’d like to find out why he (Gary Sheffield) didn’t like the contract,” Mariano said. “We could look at that first.”

In December, commissioners dropped plans to partner with Pasco Sports to build a sports complex on 100 acres near The Shops at Wiregrass regional shopping mall. The land is part of more than 200 acres donated to the county by the Porter family.

Partners James Talton and former major league baseball player Gary Sheffield had proposed to build 20 ball fields and dormitories on the site. They had envisioned a youth baseball camp that would attract national tournaments and deliver more than $300 million annually in economic impact to the county.

According to the agreement, the county would commit between $11 million and $14 million in tourism dollars to the project. But Talton and Sheffield let a deadline pass without delivering on a pledge to provide $3 million for the complex’s design.

Other projects, both rumored and real, are competing with the proposed sports complex.

Z Mitch LLC had a groundbreaking in February for a major ice hockey and sports complex off Interstate 75 at the State Road interchange in Wesley Chapel. The facility is expected to open in fall 2015 with four full-size rinks. But the 150,000-square-foot facility will accommodate a wide range of sports including soccer, lacrosse and basketball.

Rumors also persist that Hillsborough County may be in line for a new sports facility.

Most Pasco commissioners agreed the feasibility study would be a valuable tool in sorting out the county’s options.

“It will either validate or invalidate the marketing of the complex and what’s needed in this area,” said Chairman Ted Schrader. “It will give us the confidence to go forward with some sort of park project.”

Published March 18, 2015

 

Staples closing leads searches on LakerLutzNews.com

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Thousands of Web travelers found their exit off the Information Superhighway to LakerLutzNews.com thanks to search engines this past year, but what exactly lead them here in the first place?

Apparently, it was all about the closing of Staples.

Not long after LakerLutzNews.com started publishing daily stories to complement the print stories found each week in our papers, reporter Michael Hinman published a story March 6 about the closing of 225 Staples stores by the end of 2015. That could include two stores locally — the Staples at 7910 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills, and another at 6260 Commerce Palms Blvd., in New Tampa.

It was a rather significant chunk of the Staples chain, which has 1,500 stores in the United States and employs more than 50,000 people.

But what else led the list of top search terms that led to the LakerLutzNews.com in 2014? Check out our list, just in time for us to start it all over again in 2015.

1. Staples closing stores
The good news, however, is that both the Zephyrhills and New Tampa stores continue to remain open by year’s end, with no public announcement of their fate made at this point.

2. Angela Madonia Tampa
Who is Angela Madonia you might ask? Well, she’s a co-owner — along with mother Josephine Argento — of what was then a new farmer’s market called The Family Farm on 41 that opened May 23.

Reporter B.C. Manion shared the news of this market for the first time on June 12, based on a story that appeared the day before in the Lutz News.

“The concept is providing the freshest and healthiest fruits and veggies to our customers,” Madonia said at the time. “We will be growing strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, carrots, corn, radishes, pumpkins and okra. We will start harvesting in late August or early September.”

At the beginning of the year, the site where the outdoor market would eventually open was just an empty field south of County Line Road on U.S. 41. But that changed quickly throughout the spring as what appeared to be a barn went up, and the Family Farm opened for business.

3. Sanders Elementary School
A lot has happened on the former campus of Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes in the past year, everything from the announcement of it becoming a magnet school to the opening of enrollment earlier this month.

Through reporter B.C. Manion, The Laker has stayed on top of all the developments regarding the school, including the November announcement that Lake Myrtle Elementary School principal Jason Petry would be the head administrator at the new Sanders school.

It is set to open in August, just in time for the 2015-16 school year.

4. Cypress Creek Town Center
With all the development taking place in Pasco County, it’s surprising to see one project get more attention than others. Yet that seems to be happening with the Cypress Creek Town Center area in Wesley Chapel, right where State Road 56 and Interstate 75 meet.

With everything from the construction start of Tampa Premium Outlets to plans to open a Costco on the site, there’s been plenty to talk about on the property. In fact, in the past year alone, LakerLutzNews.com has posted six stories about the project. It would be hard to find any other topic, outside of the failed elevated toll road project, the paper wrote about more.

5. Atlanta Braves
Believe it or not, the elevated toll road didn’t make our list of the top five search terms — probably because that project died last July.

However, people were interested in the Atlanta Braves, especially some teasing from former Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield, who told Wesley Chapel business leaders in September that he wanted to convince his former team to set up spring training in Pasco County once a massive baseball complex he was involved in was built.

Except there’s one problem: At the moment, it doesn’t look like the baseball project is coming. Last week, the Pasco County Commission terminated the contract it had with Sheffield and business partner James Talton after they failed to secure funding for their 19-field project.

Could Sheffield and Talton come back with a revised plan? Talton thinks so. But they would likely have to compete with other would-be developers to turn that part of Wiregrass Ranch into a sports megaplex.

Are you curious to what the most-read online stories were on LakerLutzNews.com this past year? Find out in the Dec. 31 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, and get a great recap of all the stories that moved readers over the past year as well.

And be sure to visit LakerLutzNews.com for daily stories every day — sometimes before you even have a chance to read it in print. Find out why more and more people are making sure The Laker/Lutz News online is a regular stop on their Web journeys.

County commission cancels baseball park agreement

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Pasco County’s business partnership with James Talton to build a massive baseball park in the Wiregrass Ranch area is over. At least for now.

The county commission voted unanimously to terminate an agreement with Talton’s Pasco Sports LLC after the company failed to provide necessary paperwork to show it had $3 million available to help with the design stage of the project that would’ve built nearly 20 baseball fields as well as dormitories to attract the youth baseball camp industry to Pasco. Talton and retired Major League Baseball player Gary Sheffield wanted to build the complex on 100 acres of land, not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which they said could become a significant youth sports training destination.

The county will now explore the possibility of advertising the land to a new private developer, and work out a different deal that could still focus on baseball, but maybe other amenities as well. County administrator Michele Baker, however, still left the door open for Talton and Sheffield, saying it’s possible for the two to come back to the table under a new structure.

“We can all look at this not as a failure, but as an opportunity for us to find something that is going to be a perfect fit and a mix for Pasco County,” commission chair Ted Schrader said right before the vote late Tuesday. “We have a great asset that is not going anywhere.”

The Wiregrass Ranch area and the potential to do something with the land there, Schrader said, is exciting for the county, because it “is the corner of Main and Main, and we are blessed and fortunate to have such a fine opportunity to do that.”

Finding private financing for what was at one time a $70 million project has been troublesome under the current agreement with the county, Talton has said, and he was willing to move forward with the project without the county’s involvement, or its $11 million in pledged tourist tax dollars.

“In our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed,” Talton said last week. “The current agreement is being terminated. I literally cannot work based on the current financing environment. We will negotiate new terms and have financing in place upon execution so we can move forward immediately.”

The biggest stumbling block was land, Talton had said in the past. The county would continue to own the land that was deeded to it by the Porter family — the developers behind Wiregrass Ranch. However, one sports consultant told county officials Tuesday that there may be a little more to it than that.

“He didn’t have the proven track record,” Dev Pathik, chief executive of Sports Facilities Advisory, told commissioners of Talton. “The potential partners, while they expressed interest, they were not ready to sign on and take any risk.”

Land, Pathik said, does not hold the collateral value with investors it used to.

“The banks have learned they don’t want to own dirt,” he said.

As Pasco appears to go back to the start in planning a potential sports complex that could attract visitors to the county, Hillsborough County has teased some thoughts about possibly partnering to build a competing facility to the south. J.D. Porter, who represents the land holdings of Wiregrass Ranch, says Pasco officials shouldn’t worry, and not rush into anything because of what others might say.

“Every single time this comes up for a vote, Hillsborough County says they are going to do something,” Porter said. “Have they? They haven’t. We have played into that as a county for a long time, and we have been a little step-brother.

“They haven’t delivered. You have your own asset that far outweighs anything they have in their portfolio, and you have to look at that as having a chip they don’t possess. You are ahead of the game, and you are taking steps right now that has much more of a reality of a business plan that is not a pipe dream.”

In fact, Porter said if he was sitting in a Hillsborough commission board room right now, “I would be a lot more fearful than you guys should be.”

The original agreement signed a year ago called for Pasco Sports to provide the county verification of $23 million in financing necessary to design and construct the park by last summer. However, that agreement was amended in July to give Talton and Sheffield a 90-day extension.

It was during that period that Pasco Sports provided a $3 million commitment letter from Hallmark Mergers & Acquisitions LLC, along with a letter from Florida EB-5 Regional Center LLC saying it was committed to raising $20 million in funds.

County officials, however, didn’t feel that was enough to meet the terms of the agreement, and the commission then gave Talton and Sheffield until Dec. 5 to at least show they had $3 million available for the project. That deadline passed, however, with a letter from Talton proposing a new plan that would eliminate the need for the $11 million county contribution — but also remove payouts to the county after it’s built — but nothing in terms of the $3 million.

That prompted Baker to recommend the entire deal be cancelled.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county.

Commissioners to decide next step on baseball park Tuesday

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Pasco County officials are set to do exactly what James Talton has wanted over the last few weeks: To terminate the agreement between the two for a massive recreational baseball complex in Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area.

County commissioners could do just that during its regular meeting in New Port Richey on Tuesday, after Talton’s Pasco Sports LLC failed to provide necessary paperwork to show he had $3 million available to help with the design stage of the project. Talton and retired Major League Baseball player Gary Sheffield wanted to build the complex on 100 acres of land not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which they said could become a significant youth sports training destination.

Yet, finding private financing for what was at one time a $70 million project has been troublesome under the current agreement with the county, Talton has said, and the project could actually move forward without the county’s involvement, or its $11 million in tourist tax dollars.

“in our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed,” Talton told The Laker/Lutz News last week. “The current agreement is being terminated. I literally cannot work based on the current financing environment. We will negotiate new terms and have financing in place upon execution so we can move forward immediately.”

How that would work is unclear. The county, at least based on what county administrator Michele Baker has said, is ready to move on with someone else. In a memo to commissioners, Baker said that by canceling the agreement, it will “bring closer to this matter” and “allow the county to pursue future options for the parcel in question.”

Baker also said she will with the county attorney to review the agreement struck with Pasco Sports to see any changes that might be required for the future, and prepare a list of recommendations for commissioners to consider at its Jan. 13 meeting.

The original agreement signed a year ago called for Pasco Sports to provide the county verification of $23 million in financing necessary to design and construct the park by last summer. However, that agreement was amended in July to give Talton and Sheffield a 90-day extension.

It was during that period that Pasco Sports provided a $3 million commitment letter from Hallmark Mergers & Acquisitions LLC, along with a letter from Florida EB-5 Regional Center LLC saying it was committed to raising $20 million in funds.

County officials, however, didn’t feel that was enough to meet the terms of the agreement, and the commission then gave Talton and Sheffield until Dec. 5 to at least show they had $3 million available for the project. That deadline passed, however, with a letter from Talton proposing a new plan that would eliminate the need for the $11 million county contribution — but also remove payouts to the county after it’s built — but nothing in terms of the $3 million.

That prompted Baker to recommend the entire deal be cancelled.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county.

Commissioners will have to decide what they’re going to do next at the meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey.

Also expected to be discussed is Commissioner Mike Moore’s proposed sexual predator ordinance, which would prohibit registered sexual predators and sexual offenders from living within 2,500 feet of schools, parks, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and bus stops. Moore unveiled the plan with Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco last week in Wesley Chapel.

Extra innings for Wesley Chapel baseball park?

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An ambitious plan to bring a major youth-oriented baseball complex to the Wiregrass Ranch area of Wesley Chapel might be coming apart. Yet, the developers of the plan aren’t giving up, and are even willing to continue on without $11 million in funding from Pasco County.

Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between Blue Marble Strategic’s James Talton and retired Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield, missed a deadline to file a financial plan with Pasco County officials Friday, a little more than a week after county commissioners gave them more time to get money together.

Major League Baseball star and Tampa native Gary Sheffield talks to some representatives of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel after a September meeting with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. Sheffield and development partner James Talton have a new plan to bring a youth baseball complex to Pasco County. (File Photo)
Major League Baseball star and Tampa native Gary Sheffield talks to some representatives of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel after a September meeting with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. Sheffield and development partner James Talton have a new plan to bring a youth baseball complex to Pasco County. (File Photo)

“I am very disappointed that they were unable to obtain the financing by today’s deadline,” Pasco County administrator Michele Baker said last week in a statement. “However, we still believe very strongly in the concept. Youth sports are an important component of our tourism plan, and the Wiregrass location is geographically well positioned for the region. We look forward to continued dialogue with interested parties in order to bring a sports complex like this to Pasco County.”

Pasco Sports was looking to get $11 million in county tourism funding to help construct the project, along with $23 million of its own money. However, getting a financial backer to front the private side of the deal has been problematic for Talton and Sheffield in recent weeks, forcing some scale-back from what was originally a $70 million project.

The key to the deal, at least in the eyes of the Pasco County commission, was a $3 million pledge to guarantee loans on the project, something Sheffield told commissioners just before Thanksgiving that he would be willing to front himself, if need be.

“In our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed,” Talton told The Laker/Lutz News in an email over the weekend.

The commission, based on what Ted Schrader told Talton and Sheffield at the pre-Thanksgiving meeting, is expected to terminate the agreement it has with Pasco Sports at its next meeting in January. Talton, however, said that’s exactly what he now wants to happen.

“The current agreement is being terminated,” he said. “I literally cannot work based on the current financing environment. We will negotiate new terms and have financing in place upon execution so we can move forward immediately.”

In fact, Talton said the county would no longer be asked to invest $11 million into the project, as long as it releases Pasco Sports from its obligation to pay fixed and contingent county revenue, as well as the company’s obligation to secure funding by a specific date and at a specific amount. Talton shared this in a letter to Pasco County administrator Michele Baker Nov. 25.

The county, however, would still be responsible for funding and construction of the connector road between Wiregrass Ranch Road and the park, Talton said. While Pasco would save the $11 million, it would not receive a piece of the revenue generated by the sports park when it goes into operation under this revised plan.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county.

Commissioners wanted to make a final decision on the $11 million investment at its January meeting, but in order to do that, the developers needed to have paperwork submitted by the end of the day Dec. 5. That would then give county officials time to review the paperwork before it was presented to commissioners.

Published December 10, 2014

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Baseball complex in jeopardy? Developer misses deadline

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An ambitious plan to bring a major youth-oriented baseball complex to the Wiregrass Ranch area of Wesley Chapel might be coming apart.

Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between Blue Marble Strategic’s James Talton and retired Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield, missed a deadline to file a financial plan with Pasco County officials Friday, a little more than a week after county commissioners gave them a little more time to get money together.

“I am very disappointed that they were unable to obtain the financing by today’s deadline,” Pasco County administrator Michele Baker said, in a statement. “However, we still believe very strongly in the concept. Youth sports are an important component of our tourism plan, and the Wiregrass location is geographically well positioned for the region. We look forward to continued dialogue with interested parties in order to bring a sports complex like this to Pasco County.”

Pasco Sports was looking to get $11 million in county funding to help construct the project, along with $23 million of its own money. However, getting a financial backer to front the private side of the deal has been problematic for Talton and Sheffield in recent weeks, which initially was a $70 million project.

The cost and scope of the project was reduced in recent weeks while Pasco Sports tried to bring in financing.

The key to the deal was a $3 million pledge to guarantee loans on the project, something Sheffield told commissioners just before Thanksgiving that he would be willing to front himself if need be.

“I talked to my bankers, and at the end of the day when all this is said and done, if nobody comes in and does this, I’m going to use $3 million myself to take care of that note,” Sheffield said at the time.

It’s unclear whether Sheffield was still pledging that amount, or if it was enough to help Pasco Sports meet the deadline. Talton, however, told The Laker/Lutz News in an email Saturday that he’s not giving up.

“We have to go through this process in order to structure a deal that will work for our lenders and investors,” Talton said. “In our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed.”

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county. Even the $11 million Pasco is investing would come back quickly, he said, as the project is estimated to pay the county $9 million in taxes and other costs.

Commissioners wanted to make a final decision on the $11 million investment at its January meeting, but in order to do that, the developers needed to have paperwork submitted by the end of the day Dec. 5. That would then give county officials time to review the paperwork before it was presented to commissioners.

Getting more time seems unlikely, at least based on what commissioners told Talton and Sheffield last month in Dade City. New commission chair Ted Schrader said there would be no more deadline extensions.

Story updated 12/6/14 at 11:42 a.m., to include comments from James Talton.

Sheffield’s $3M pledge buys more time for baseball complex

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Late-game heroics are something Gary Sheffield became accustomed to during his 21-year professional athletic career. But his plans to build a massive baseball complex in Wesley Chapel is now in the bottom of the ninth, and the retired outfielder is going to need a grand slam to make it a reality.

James Talton, right, shares his plans with business leaders last month to build a 19-diamond baseball complex in the heart of Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area as his business partner, retired baseball star Gary Sheffield, listens in. (File photo)
James Talton, right, shares his plans with business leaders last month to build a 19-diamond baseball complex in the heart of Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area as his business partner, retired baseball star Gary Sheffield, listens in. (File photo)

Pasco County commissioners gave Sheffield and business partner James Talton until January to secure enough seed money to help Pasco Sports LLC build a 19-field complex not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel in the Wiregrass Ranch area. Commissioners like new chair Ted Schrader was reluctant to give the developers the extra time, that is until Sheffield pledged $3 million of his own money to make sure it happens.

“I talked to my bankers, and at the end of the day when all this is said and done, if nobody comes in and does this, I’m going to use $3 million myself to take care of that note,” Sheffield told commissioners.

Sheffield and Talton have struggled to get financing for what has become a $34 million project to attract up-and-coming youth baseball players from around the country. One of the biggest sticking points is the land, Sheffield said, which would remain under the county’s control. Not having the more than 100 acres as collateral has made the overall project less attractive to investors.

Also complicating matters is the fact that Pasco Sports can only talk to one investor at a time, Sheffield said. Being forced to wait until an investor comes to a decision before Pasco Sports can approach someone else has pushed the project back for months. It also has put the county’s $11 million in tourist tax money in jeopardy.

“It’s a fantastic location and a great concept,” Schrader said during a meeting in Dade City last week. “We just have to make sure that we have the right partner.”

Commissioners had hoped to get the proof of financing they requested to give the baseball complex their blessing. However, without initial funding secured, nothing is concrete just yet.

Making the situation more difficult now are the holidays.

“In the financial world, if you don’t have a deal struck now, you’re not going to get anything done until the end of the year,” Schrader said. “Delaying this to the end of January is something I don’t have a problem with. I am concerned with the money they are going to be obligated to put forward, that those bills be paid for in an expedited manner when necessary.”

Pasco Sports would have until the beginning of December to turn over the necessary paperwork to show proof of financing. From there, the county will review the paperwork so that commissioners can act on it by the time the new year rolls around.

Commissioner Jack Mariano was concerned with high interest rates attached to the $3 million seed money — some 20 percent — fearing annual expenses to pay it could climb as high as $600,000.

“This was thrown together just to put something in front of us, and it’s very unstable,” he said.

Talton, however, assured Mariano that he’s not looking to pull out $3 million upfront, and then start paying back high interest rates. Instead, Pasco Sports would just use money when its needed to help cover initial bills, and are not obligated to use all — or any — of that $3 million.

“It’s just an incentive for that person (who offers the money) to step forward, and an incentive for us not to use it,” Talton said. “It’s absolutely normal to have a bridge loan at a high interest rate at the beginning of a project.”

The county has looked at Talton’s and Sheffield’s project as one that could bring in thousands of young baseball players and their families each year, and possibly even attract a Major League Baseball team to have spring training there.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county. Even the $11 million Pasco is investing would come back quickly, he said, as the project is estimated to pay the county $9 million in taxes and other costs.

Talton had hoped to spend as much as $70 million on the project, tapping into what he described as a $7 billion youth sports industry. However, the project has shrunk a bit as Pasco Sports failed to bring in the big investors it had hoped.

Commissioners approved the extension unanimously, delaying a final decision until January. But Schrader added a warning: this is the last extension.

Sheffield remains optimistic, just as he did last month when talking to local chamber members.

“We can’t predict how big this is going to be,” Sheffield said at the time. “And I think it’s going to be 10 times bigger than what James is putting to paper right now.”

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Money raised: Major baseball complex one step closer to reality

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It’s not as expensive as he pitched to business leaders in Wesley Chapel late last month, but James Talton is moving forward with his proposed baseball complex in the Wiregrass Ranch area he says will put Pasco County on the baseball map.

Talton secured $23 million to build the 19-field complex, and once paperwork is finalized, will add another $11 million from Pasco’s tourist tax to make the project near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel a reality.

The deal is specifically with a corporation called Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between Talton’s Blue Marble Strategic Pasco LLC, and retired professional baseball star Gary Sheffield.

The project will be constructed in two phases, according to documents Pasco Sports submitted to county officials, including player dormitories, a 2,500-seat stadium, and concession areas that can serve multiple playing fields at the same time.

Talton had hoped to expand the complex in early phases to $70 million, but reportedly was unable to close a deal with an investor interested in putting up $50 million of the cost. That forced Talton to scale back the plans a bit in order to meet a county-imposed deadline that would make the additional $11 million available.

Once completed, the fields could still help Pasco take a big bite of what’s become a $7 billion youth sports industry, Talton said last month.

“We could make between $18 million and $20 million, and that’s just in the summertime alone,” Talton said to business leaders in September. “If we took the 13- or 14-year-olds, and we did nothing else, I could pay down my debt service of $54 million.”

That debt service, however, will now be half that as Talton moves forward with his plans.

It’s not clear if the fields will try to attract a Major League Baseball team for spring training. Sheffield suggested last month that one of his former teams, the Atlanta Braves, might be interested in leaving its current home in Lake Buena Vista and possibly coming to Wesley Chapel. The lure of a new facility, and being closer to other major spring training teams including the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, could be enough to bring them to Pasco, Sheffield said.

“That is an easy commute for them,” Sheffield said last month. “All those fans could come straight here, plus go to other places like Disney and Clearwater Beach, since they would be close by. That is a possibility that is pretty much there for the taking.”

County officials will need at least a week to review the documents before the final stamp of approval is applied. But that should happen before Oct. 24, barring any complications.