South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Renderings released for proposed surf park for Tampa Bay area
The waves are still just in the planning stages, but the best rides in Florida could be headed for the west coast if a proposed surf park stays on course.
The developers behind Peak Surf Park, which is proposing a 30-acre site in either Pinellas or HillsboroughCounty,releasedrenderings for the attraction that they said they hope will be open in 2025.
The primary feature will be the use of a wave-making apparatus amid a massive lake that can create consistent rideable waves of varying heights. A similar park called Surf Lakes opened in Australia
boasts the ability to host 200 surfers at a time with 10 rides per hour each with up to 8-foot-high waves. Wave heights and strength can be adjusted to support a variety of surf expertise levels from beginner to expert.
For the Tampa Bay area park, developers promise a half mile of humanmade beachfront, noting this won’t be located along the coast, but inland. Also on site will be a concert venue, food and beverage sites and more.
“We are having some very good conversations and hope to have a property secured in the coming months,” read a statement on the proposed park’swebsite.“Dependingon land and permitting approvals, it will likely take 2-3 years to get the park built and open.”
Prices have yet to be determined, but the site FAQ says, “We want the park accessible to all, so we intend to make park admission a very nominal price. Waves will be priced hourly and we intend to be more competitive than existing surf park pricing. Memberships will also be an option.”
It’s not the only potential surfparkintheworksforFlorida. In January, Fort Pierce city commissioners approved initial phases for what a surfing park called Wavegarden, and at one point Brevard County native and surfing legend Kelly Slater was looking to bring a surf park to the Sunshine State.