Four sporting events in Sarasota County to benefit from state grant assistance

Three are rowing competitions at Nathan Benderson Park

Team members participate in a regatta at Benderson Park in April 2013. File photo

Four sporting events that will be conducted in Sarasota County this year will receive an extra boost from grant funding provided by the Florida Sports Foundation (FSF), Visit Sarasota County, the county’s tourism agency, has announced.

The FSF is a division of Enterprise Florida, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization, a news release explains. The primary revenue source for the FSF grant program are the proceeds from sales of Florida’s nine professional sports license plates, the release notes.

The following Sarasota County events will receive FSF grant funds, the release adds:

  • USRowing Southeast Regional Championships: May 12-13 at Nathan Benderson Park near University Parkway in Sarasota.
  • NCAA Women’s Divisions I, II and III Rowing National Championship: May 23-27 at Nathan Benderson Park.
  • 2018 World Rowing Masters Regatta: Sept. 27-30 at Nathan Benderson Park.
  • United States Specialty Sports Association Florida Division (USSSA) World Series: June 27 through July 1 at multiple locations in Sarasota County.

The Florida Sports Foundation (FSF) Board of Directors approved 32 grants for sporting events during its third quarter meeting of the 2017-18 fiscal year, which was held in St. Petersburg on Feb. 16, a separate news release explains. The events are expected to bring more than 93,000 out-of-state visitors and an estimated $70.7 million in economic impact to the state of Florida between April and November of this year, the release adds.