Lake County and Orlando officials are exploring a partnership to further enhance the economy in Central Florida.
“We are exploring a variety of opportunities for the city of Orlando to partner with Lake County,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Sports tourism is one of those areas.”
“We have an opportunity to work with Orlando and Orange County in trying to achieve the goal of growing our sports superpower brand by marketing niche sports such as canoeing, kayaking, endurance and ecotourism,” he said.
Dyer cited the many venues in Orlando that make it a true sports destination, from the Amway Center to Discover Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Dyer noted that Lake County already has some top-quality venues to work with, including the Hickory Point Beach sand volleyball complex in Tavares, a partnership with the Florida Region of USA Volleyball to hold regional and national volleyball events, and the National Training Center in Clermont, where several Olympic hopefuls trained.
Another example is the partnership between The Central Florida Sports Commission, Lake County Economic Development and Tourism, the city of Clermont and the South Florida Canoe Kayak Club to host the 2017 USA Canoe/Kayak Sprint National Championships for the first time in Lake County.
Dyer also said there may be opportunities for collaborating and promoting the Conserv II property, an area where the city owns its wastewater treatment plant. That area has clay roads that are used by runners and bicyclists. What’s more, is 2,600 acres of the Wellness Way Area Plan, a plan to transform 15,481 acres in the southeast corner of the county into a hub for high-tech, high-wage health care jobs and other industries, is located in Conserv II.
“It would certainly fit for the long-term vision of Wellness Way being its focus on health, fitness and wellness,” said Parks. “Innovators and the next generation of small business owners desire these kind of amenities in deciding the place they want to live. “CEMEX has challenged the Wellness Way Area Plan and Florida Administrative Hearings Judge Bram Canter has yet to rule in the matter.
Robert Chandler, Lake’s economic growth director, said the city of Orlando and county “recognize there are significant opportunities for collaboration to advance the regional economy, especially with respect to economic development and sports tourism.
“Economic development is very complex,” he said. “It is no longer just about incentives and taxes. Quality of life and quality of place are significant drivers in today’s economic development environment. We are part of a much broader economic region and as the region’s economy goes, so too will ours.”
Asked if the collaboration will bring new jobs to the region and improve wages, and Chandler said not directly.
“Generally speaking if everyone is on the same page and everyone is working together to partner that regional approach and partnership it can certainly produce better results than if anyone were to go at it alone,” he said.