Fairgrounds operator seeks appreciation, less 'poking fun' from officials

Neatly stacked around a conference table in a windowless room at the offices of the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair Association are redevelopment and improvement plans of years gone by for the Sarasota County Fairgrounds.

The nondescript office building overshadowed by the adjacent Robarts Arena is home to the equally modest SCAFA, the organization that puts on the annual county fair and manages the aging facilities on the 54-acre site on Fruitville Road, the eastern gateway to downtown Sarasota.

There, SCAFA President and CEO Rory Martin oversees the operations with his staff of four full-time and six to 10 part-time employees, depending on event needs, plus a small army of volunteers. 

It’s a labor of love for the former citrus grower from rural Sarasota County. He took over in 2001, and ever since SCAFA has entertained overtures to transform the site in a variety of mixed-use schemes ranging from Major League Baseball spring training facilities to the Sarasota Orchestra, all with the goal of keeping the portion of the land for the fair.

A variety of visions have been created with the help of Ian Vingoe Consulting, which specializes in site evaluation, planning, programming and project management of public assembly facilities, civic centers, arenas, stadiums, convention and conference facilities.

Photo by Andrew Warfield

Martin knows an annual agricultural fair, acres of parking lot and an antiquated arena may not be the highest and best use for such prime property. But efforts to achieve greater function have failed to gain traction time and again. At one time, SCAFA even floated the idea, to no avail, of a land swap with the county government at Twin Lakes Park, east of Interstate 75. 

Sarasota County government has made overtures that it would like to regain control of the fairgrounds. But, simply put, as long as SCAFA produces some kind of agricultural fair there at least every two years, the county cannot reclaim the property thanks to a reverter clause in the agreement with the county that dates back to 1947.

During A June 4 meeting, Director of Planning and Development Services Matt Osterhoudt provided county commissioners with that reality check.

“If the property ceases to be used for such purposes, title shall revert to the county of Sarasota,” Osterhoudt said at the time. “Additionally, if the property is not used by grantee for (agricultural fair) purposes for a period of two successive years, such failure to be used said property shall automatically cause reversion to the grantor.”

In other words, pin one blue ribbon on a prize brahman cow at least every two years and the land stays under SCAFA control.

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Of course that’s not how Martin wants it, and, at least as long as he is involved, the property will host an annual fair and Robarts Arena will be the site of numerous events from graduations to home shows to gun shows. In addition, the parking lot, when available, will serve as a training ground for drivers of emergency response vehicles, and two other buildings on the site will host small meetings and other special events.

What Martin does want for his efforts is to be taken seriously.

“I think there was a value to open space. Instead of poking fun at us, I just wish they’d see that really, the fair is helping the county,” Martin says. “It has created a public assembly facility that we've operated on our own dime, and neither Sarasota County nor the city have had to go to the expense of building a conference center/convention center/sports arena to accommodate the community. 

“We've been the de facto facility, but we've gotten no public support to do it.” 

Just doing it

The annual county fair, of course, is the main attraction, but SCAFA operates the site year-round. Repairs and enhancements to the entire property are funded by revenues the organization generates through building rentals, concessions and, of course, the fair.

Revenues produced by the Sarasota County Fair, which is the primary funding source, average about $350,000, $400,000 in a really good year according to Martin. Events held in Robarts Arena are generally break-even propositions with revenues generated by concession sales, all carefully managed to keep SCAFA solvent.

“The rule of thumb was if we had $200,000 in the bank at the beginning of our fiscal year, we’d be broke by the time the fair comes,” Martin says. “We had a shooting out here a few years because some kid snuck in a gun and our insurance doubled. Two years ago Hurricane Ian hit and this building (the office) had the roof ripped off.”

The fairgrounds’ biggest profit center, though, comes at the expense of others. SCAFA doesn’t charge Florida Power & Light to stage emergency power restoration crews in the parking lot, but it does hold the exclusive concession rights and is responsible for feeding those crews three meals per day.

Not one to simply delegate, Martin rolls up his sleeves and works in the Robarts Arena commercial kitchen. 

“I’m in the kitchen at 3 a.m.,” he says. “Then we’re doing supper at night and usually getting done by 11 p.m., getting to bed at midnight or 1 o’clock, then doing it all over again the next day.”

Often during FPL staging, Martin will spend the night in a suite above the Robarts Arena floor, sleeping those few hours on an inflatable mattress.

As healthy as hurricanes are for the SCAFA bottom line, they are not desired nor can they be factored into the budget. The windfall the power restoration staging provides, though, is typically applied to deferred maintenance and improvements otherwise not budgeted.

Photo by Andrew Warfield

Two recent improvement projects are paving the midway and, just last month, replacing air conditioning equipment in Robarts Arena. Plans for paving the midway began in 2018, then were delayed by COVID as the price of oil and other inflationary pressures nearly tripled the original $300,000 price to $800,000.

“Our ride (amusements) company kicked in $125,000, and I got FPL to kick in $300,000, and we had to come up with the rest,” Martin says. “I think it’s going to pay dividends over time because now when people come to the fair they can walk around and the midway is all paved.”

Proceeds from Hurricane Irma power restoration in 2017 paid to replace one air conditioning unit in the arena and for some other targeted repairs. Martin also banked about $400,000 in a money market account that was intended for paving the midway, but instead was used toward replacing the remaining arena air conditioning systems.

Photo by Andrew Warfield

The point is, as a nonprofit, SCAFA targets its limited resources for needs rather than wants. Martin would like to expand the arena frontage for more storage, more concessions space, a larger pre-function area and perhaps a portico across Ringling Boulevard.

For now, though, the fairgrounds and its facilities won’t change much. 

“I've got to rely on what I'm able to generate in my budget for payroll, for utilities and for upkeep,” Martin says. “It’s difficult to generate enough revenue just from rental income to make meaningful improvements.”

First joining the SCAFA Board of Directors in 1993, Martin knows his time to foster significant change at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds is limited.

“I don't know how many years I’ve got left here,” he says. "I like the challenge. I have a wife who is very understanding. We have four kids and we are almost empty nesters. I've been blessed. My wife is very understanding of my hours and dedication here and, coming from agriculture background of not being dependent on anybody.

“You just step up and do it.”