St. Johns Commissioners Hear Pitch for a New Pitch

Professional soccer could be coming to St. Johns County, at least indirectly.

Steve Livingstone, president and CEO of JAXUSL, the organization behind efforts to bring  new United Soccer League teams to Northeast Florida, presented a plan to St. Johns County commissioners for a $30 million community sports facility to be built off County Road 16A. The plan, which would be a public/private partnership between the county and JAXUSL, would expand on the county’s Four Parks Master Plan project.

The proposal would expand the eight-field sports complex in the county’s parks plans to a total of 15 fields, with up to nine natural grass soccer fields, five multi-purpose synthetic turf fields, one pro turf soccer field and a mini-stadium with seating for up to 3,000 spectators as well as an athletic track.

“The full site development would be part of what has already been proposed – we would just supersize it,” Livingstone said.

In addition to its use as a training facility for the USL teams, the sports complex would be open to the community and would also be available for outside tournaments as part of the county’s sports tourism development efforts.

“We have a very good team behind us, a very good ownership group that wants to do things the right way,” Livingstone said, adding that among the owners is former University of Florida and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.

In his pitch to commissioners, Livingstone referenced a 2019 report on sports tourism that looked at available facilities.

“They found there were enough facilities not only for sports tourism but the general community,” he said. “There’s a shortage of fields, essentially. Probably the best way the county could address this is through a public/private partnership.”

The plan received a thumbs-up from the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce.

“The chamber strongly believes this facility will bring immense value to the area,” said Scott Maynard, vice president for economic development. “More importantly it will provide an avenue for sports tourism revenue.”

Maynard said additional fields proposed by JAXUSL also meet a growing need in the county.

“As our community continues to grow so does our need for recreational facilities,” he said. “We know we have a shortage of fields we need to address.”

 Livingstone said the facility would create nearly 130 jobs and generate an estimated $15 million to $20 million in annual economic impact. The facility could be open by early 2025 with county support, he said, adding that would entail an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation regarding a 33-acre site adjacent to the 40-acre county owned site on CR 16A.

Commission Chair Christian Whitehust said cooperation from the state transportation agency is the fist step before the county considers the proposal.

“If the Florida Department of Transportation parcel is not available for any reason, this is a non-starter,” he said, proposing the county send a letter to FDOT and direct county staff to study the matter.

While commissioners unanimously agreed to take a closer look at the proposal, they said more information was needed before making a firm decision.

“I like the concept,” said Commissioner Henry Dean. “But what I want to see is a ledger with two sides – the benefit to the taxpayer and the cost to the taxpayer.”