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$20M sports complex could be coming to Seminole County

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County said a multimillion-dollar sports complex will pump big money into the economy, but not everyone thinks the project is going to be a home run.

The complex will be built near Orlando Sanford International Airport, but local hotels are worried it could cost them business.

The complex would be the largest of its kind in Central Florida and would be meant to attract ball tournaments from all over the country. It would include 15 ball fields stretching over 175 acres.

The price for the land is $9.8 million, and the complex would cost about $20 million.

The complex would be paid for through the bed tax that guests pay when they stay in Seminole County hotels, which would have an estimated economic impact of more than $18 million a year.

But some of the large hotels feel the project could be a swing and miss, saying the location of the complex is closer to hotels near the University of Central Florida in Orange County than to their family friendly hotels off Interstate 4.

That would mean Orange County would reap the benefits of a project Seminole County paid for.

The County Commission is expected to approve the land purchase as its next meeting in about two weeks.

Officials said the complex could be built and ready for tournaments in about four years.