#5 Palm Beach County, Fla.
▶ RÉSUMÉ: Palm Beach County hosted 196 events across 40 sports in 2023. Equestrian and baseball are the top two producers of sports tourism in the region, headlined by Major League Baseball spring training. In Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches and Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the Palm Beach area has the only pair of two-team MLB spring training stadiums in Florida or Arizona, both of which are funded by a local tourism tax. Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is being renovated in 2025.
The region also benefits from its beachside natural beauty, hosting recent annual meetings for the NHL board of governors and NFL owners, and the 2023 TEAMS Sports Travel conference. Attracting that latter event was a four-year effort for the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
The ATP Tour’s Delray Beach Open and PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches are annual stops for those touring properties, while ESPN Events owns and operates the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl football game played at Florida Atlantic’s FAU Stadium.
The centrally located Palm Beach International Airport is amid a concourse remodel that will make room for more flights, while West Palm Beach is connected to Miami by the Brightline high-speed rail, which opened another line between Miami and Orlando.
▶ DEVELOPMENT: National Polo Center; Palm Beach International Raceway; Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches (Astros/Nationals spring training base); PGA National Members Club; FAU Stadium; Delray Beach Tennis Center; and Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium (Marlins/ Cardinals spring training base).
▶ FUNDING FOR THE SPORTS COMMISSION: The PBCSC is funded by a 5.4% cut of total bed tax collections, as well as its own revenue generation. The organization’s FY25 budget will top $5 million, with nearly as much in reserves.
▶ STAY AND PLAY: Check out Kitchen, a restaurant opened by Tiger Woods’ former personal chef, Matthew Byrne, or stop by national hubs for polo, croquet and equestrian, all located in the Palm Beach region.