Might Cocoa Beach be the home of the world’s first surf stadium? Photo: Shutterstock
Considering that Cocoa Beach, Florida, is the stomping grounds of the greatest surfer in the history of competitive surfing, the fact that the town is considering building an entire surfing arena shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
According to Florida’s My News 13, Mayor Dave Netterstrom recently made the proposal to move a portion of the budget allocated to the Washington National’s spring training facility to a beach stadium and pier–the latter of which would be “built to enhance waves, creating the world’s first surfing stadium to attract more surfing competitions.”
The Nationals are on the verge of leaving their spring training headquarters in Brevard County, and the Mayor believes money from the park’s upkeep budget would help fund the surf stadium.
The project would require millions of dollars, which would come from something called a bed tax. On top of a five percent state tax on hotel rooms, municipalities have the option to add another three percent, which goes to the local government. It’s a way of getting tourists to pony up a bit of extra cash for visiting. The construction of a pier and a stadium would be largely to attract more surfing contests, and in turn, more tourists. “Since a majority of the bed tax is generated from the Cocoa Beach area,” Netterstrom told My News 13, “it seems like an investment back into the Cocoa Beach area would ultimately generate higher bed tax revenue for the entire county.”
