UCF officials pitched the local Orange County Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force on Friday as part of the university’s request for $176.6 million in public funding for facility upgrades to its athletics village, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The pitch is part of UCF’s broader Mission 12 initiative, a nearly $270-million fundraising campaign tied to UCF’s transition to the Big 12 Conference on July 1.

• UCF’s request for funds, which was first reported by the Orlando Sentinel in May, would go toward Mission 12, which includes a new standalone football operations building, a recovery river and additional renovations and improvements to football’s FBC Mortgage Stadium and other facilities.
• The money would come via Tourist Development Tax funds from Orlando’s Orange County hotel tax.
• The requested $176.6 million would be committed over a 10-year period and cover roughly 2/3 of UCF’s total project costs.
• UCF said the remaining funds, of which more than $25 million have already been raised, would come from “private sources, including philanthropy, corporate partnership revenue and premium seat revenue,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.

During its presentation to the Orange County Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force, #UCF shared a first look at renderings for a soccer-specific stadium, softball complex upgrades, the creation of a tennis training center and a track-specific facility. pic.twitter.com/9AZr8FIODI

— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) June 16, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What’s behind this push by UCF?

The Knights have a massive facilities plan vision, with everything from a lazy river for rehabilitation to expanding the football stadium capacity. UCF’s rise is unprecedented in college football, beginning as a Division III program in 1979 up to joining a Power 5 conference next month. It will be the only program to have played at every level of college football.

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The program was boosted by building the first college indoor practice field in Florida in 2005, and building its on-campus stadium in 2007. Those facilities gave UCF a base infrastructure. But now moving to the Big 12, those facilities need to be upgraded, and more need to be built.

In April, UCF announced $12 million in renovations to the Addition Financial Arena, the Venue, Knights Plaza and adjacent residence halls. Its athletic administration building recently expanded as well. UCF likes to call itself the future of college football. These plans for an athletics village are a big part of that vision. — Vannini

Why UCF’s pitch for public funding stands out

Multi-million-dollar fundraising campaigns and facility upgrades are the norm in college athletics. Fellow Big 12 newcomers Cincinnati and Houston are both working on facility projects tied to conference realignment with price-tags north of $100 million, and just this week USC announced plans for a new football performance center and USF approved a $340 million budget for an on-campus stadium, with the latter taking on $200 million in debt.

What’s notable about UCF’s plan is the pitch for public tax dollars to help fund the projects, an approach that has become less common and more challenging for professional sports franchises in recent years. The Orlando Sentinel reported that UCF has not received any Tourist Development Tax money in the past 10 years. That tax, which can be used for sports and arts, would not cover certain elements like the recovery river. Last year, Florida State received $20 million in public funds for stadium safety upgrades. Other Orlando entities this year have requested similar tax money for Camping World Stadium, the Amway Center and a potential Major League Baseball stadium, each request totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. — Williams

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Backstory

UCF, along with Cincinnati and Houston, reached an agreement last June on a deal to exit the AAC and join the Big 12 in the summer of 2023.

UCF president Dr. Alexander Cartwright and AD Terry Mohajir were involved in Friday’s pitch to the local Orange County Tourist Development Tax Citizen Advisory Task Force, with the university contending the move to the Big 12 will bring more tourist attention and dollars to Orange County.

The task force also heard pitches from a number of local entities and organizations, including the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts, the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts and Amway Center, where the Orlando Magic play.

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(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)

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