Pensacola Bay Center to get $10 million in upgrades over next four years

Escambia County will spend $10 million in tourist development tax funds over the next four years to upgrade the Pensacola Bay Center.

The funds will be used to upgrade the Bay Center's sound system, lighting system, parking lot, seating, ice plant, and mechanical systems.

The move comes as the Sun Belt Conference is considering where it will host its annual basketball tournament after 2025. The Pensacola Bay Center has been the venue for the last four years. Additionally, 2025 is the last year that the Pensacola Ice Flyers have a contract to use the Bay Center as its home.

The county wants to update the Bay Center to keep both tenants.

The $10 million is the first step in an overall proposal of $30 to $50 million to upgrade the Bay Center and extend its life.

That proposal would look at modernizing the facility, transforming the event room space of the first into a club space that could be used to host events, and reconfiguring the south end of the arena to attract more shows to the space, according to documents provided to county commissioners.

The $30 million to $50 million plan is a scaled-down version of a previous report that said $72 million in upgrades are needed over the next seven years and $132 million are needed over the next 20 years.

Commission Chairman Steven Barry said he hopes the future upgrades could be funded with a bond issue from the county's tourist development tax and fund an indoor multi-use sports complex at Ashton Brosnaham Park north of 10 Mile Road.

Previously: Pensacola Bay Center needs millions in repairs and upgrades. Is it worth the cost?

Barry said county-hired consultants will make a presentation to the County Commission in June on the proposal for Ashton Brosnaham Park.

Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said none of these upgrades would be possible without the board voting to increase the tourist development tax to five cents in 2020.

"If we're strategic with that fund, because that money we've worked that out through the TDC (Tourist Development Council), that fifth-cent money is segregated now for the Bay Center," Bergosh said. "We build it up, we can do the ambitious project and bond it. And let that money be the wellspring that improves the building. That way we don't have to use any ad valorem tax or any local option sales tax."

Commissioner Lumon May said the need to do something has become more pressing with Mobile, Alabama, moving to replace its old civic center with a new $300 million arena.

"The longer we sit on the sideline, the longer are we missing out on opportunity for tourism," May said.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia upgrading Pensacola Bay Center to keep Ice Flyers, Sun Belt