LARGO, Fla. — In the 2022 Midterm Election, voters in Largo will make a decision that could shape the city’s future. Referendum 2 asks them if the city should sell an 87-acre property for the creation of a sports complex.
If the "yes" votes win out, Porter Development can buy the land to create the complex.
According to Porter Development, the site of an old city landfill will be converted into a 170,000 square feet “active recreation center,” which will include 40 pickleball courts, 16 volleyball courts, eight basketball courts, a public lagoon, and a lot more.
“I think what’s missing to a lot of young families and young people in Largo is something to do in their backyard,” Porter Development owner Les Porter said.
Porter said the complex would fill that need and help power the city’s economy.
“This will be something that they can really point to, and it’ll make Largo special within Pinellas County,” he said. “You know, you don’t really think of Largo having a place where people go and gather and socialize, and I think that this can be that place.”
Megan Jetter represents the other school of thought. She’s asking voters to “Vote No on 2.”
“All over Pinellas County, people are realizing that this isn’t a good idea,” she said. “Largo is not meant to be a tourist destination. I think that people live in the City of Largo because we are close enough to the beach to not have to pay their taxes.”
If voters choose "no," the property won’t be sold to Porter.
According to Jetter, if the property is sold and developed, it could not only change the character of the city but impact the neighboring Largo Central Park Nature Preserve.
“The way animals function, the way our ecosystem functions, this preserve absolutely will be affected,” she said.
Additionally, she and other neighbors are concerned about traffic, noise, the cost of using the facility, and the transparency of the process of vetting the plan.
“People should vote no on Referendum 2,” she said.
Porter admitted the traffic accessing the sports complex could impact wildlife from the nearby preserve.
“What that impact is, it’s really hard to say at this point,” he said. “We’ll do what we can to mitigate those risks and concerns because ultimately … we want to be an extension of the existing nature preserve.”
He added that his plan also calls for improving the health of wetlands on the site and includes a boardwalk that would allow the public to enjoy that natural setting.
Jetter, though, is not convinced and pointed out that the environmental impact has not been fully studied or realized.
“You’re talking about funneling whatever traffic through the entrance to the preserve,” she said.
Now, the decision lies with Largo voters: should the land become a sports complex or not?
