Mote Marine Laboratory received $20 million from Sarasota County in 2020.
It spent seven years privately raising some $100 million to build the $130 million technical, scientific and educational marvel that is the Mote SEA aquarium at Sarasota’s Nathan Benderson Park.
Now let's compare that thoughtful, well-executed approach to the strategy Benderson Park has pursued.
The nonprofit that operates the county-owned park received $20 million from the county in 2022.
As of this summer, it has raised no money.
Yet it still plans to spend up to $80 million to build a tarted-up gym and boat garage before the World Rowing Championships are held there in two years.
On Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Sarasota County Commission will consider decisions that will either
serve the public or continue to serve the powerful commercial real estate developer Benderson Development Co.
Major decisions to be made
According to its agenda, the county commission will consider three major decisions affecting Benderson Park:
It will decide whether to formalize a county funding plan for a proposed indoor sports complex at the park – which will have a $75 million to $80 million budget, according to documents provided for the meeting.
It will decide how much the county will pay to help the park hold the World Rowing Championships in 2028.
It will decide whether to extend, for two years, the county’s agreement with the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that runs the park.
The current three-year agreement expires on Sept. 30.
Time for a new approach
I believe it’s past time for Sarasota County to start running this county park – and to stop allowing it to be managed by the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy, a quasi-governmental construct that enables Benderson Development to control this important public resource.
The company’s goal, and therefore the park’s goal, is to host large watersports events that draw thousands of visitors for several days – which in turn benefits Benderson’s nearby University Town Center commercial districtof hotels, restaurants and shops.
The 300-acre lake at Benderson Park was the reason the county and state paid some $30 million to create this park, even though it required making an island so the park would have enough land area for facilities.
Benderson Development and local supporters saw the lake’s potential to become a world-class venue for rowing, which has been a Summer Olympics sport for more than a century.
That vision culminated in the park holding the 2017 World Rowing Championships, which required two years of preparations and a $7 million budget.
But part of the vision sold to government officials – and the public – to justify spending taxpayer dollars to transform a water-filled sand quarry into a premier sports venue was the promise that a boathouse would be built with privately raised funds.
This building would enhance the big watersports events and enable the public to enjoy the lake by renting kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards and rowing boats.
It would also be capable of accommodating all of Sarasota-Bradenton’s youth and adult rowing programs.
And it was even suggested that the boathouse could generate revenue for the park.
But zero dollars were raised, and the boathouse was never built.
Instead of serving all local rowing clubs, the nonprofit that oversees Benderson Park granted exclusive control of rowing at the lake to one club – Sarasota Crew.
In the process, Nathan Benderson Park has been transformed from a public park into an expensive and private country club that charges more than $1,000 a year in dues.
But while the lake doesn’t serve the public, Sarasota County taxpayers still contribute more than $1 million each year for park operations.
The amount for fiscal year 2026 is $1.189 million – and it will rise to $1.688 million for fiscal year 2027 if the county commissioners approve the proposals on Aug. 25.
If some people believe our area needs an $80 million gym with 100,000 square feet of indoor hardwood court space to hold pickleball and basketball tournaments, that's fine.
But you could build that kind of facility almost anywhere.
The reality is the main motivation behind building this facility – which would occupy a huge chunk of Benderson Park's small man-made island – is because it would be close to the University Town Center.
No more public dollars for project
An artist’s rendering of the proposed gymnasium was included in the county’s winning bid to hold the 2028 World Rowing Championships at Benderson Park.
But unless our elected officials are duped into coughing up at least $30 million more in public money, this building will never be started, let alone completed, in less than two years. And soon enough the world’s rowers will find out what local residents already know:
Benderson Park has not been improved since the World Rowing Championships were held there nine years ago.
It is time for a reality check when it comes to Benderson Park.
It is not time to ask taxpayers to write the park another blank check.
Terry Galvin was an original member of the Safety Squadron, which supports events at Nathan Benderson Park, and served as a park volunteer for 16 years. He resides in Bradenton.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota taxpayers have sunk enough cash into Benderson Park | Opinion
