Commission Approves In $25 Million In Tourist Dollars To Upgrade John R. Jones Complex, Including Artificial Turf

May 2, 2025

The Escambia County Commission on Thursday night unanimously approved an Escambia County Tourist Development Council (TDC) recommendation to allocate $25 million for upgrades, including artificial turf, for the John R. Jones complex on East Nine Mile Road with a focus on sports tourism.

The TDC approved the recommendation at their April 15 meeting and forwarded it to the commission for necessary final approval.

The county will move forward with obtained a bank loan for $25 million to be repaid with TDT funding. The annual debt service is estimated to range from $2.1 to $3.3 million with payments coming from tourism tax revenues, not the county’s general fund.

John R. Jones Complex

The John R. Jones complex currently has 18 baseball and softball fields, plus two rectangular multi-use fields for sports such as football, lacrosse, soccer, cheerleading and more.

Over $2 million in LED lighting improvements were made last year at the park.

According to the proposal, the new facility will attract hundreds of teams, players and fans for tournaments and be competitive with similar facilities in nearby communities such as Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Panama City, Fort Walton Beach, Daphne and more.

There are 23 hotel properties within seven miles, and it is about 15 minutes from the Pensacola International Airport.

The Nine Mile Road facility will have the capacity to host 39 weekend tournaments plus 12 full week tournaments during the summer, creating over $2.3 million in revenue subject to the tourist development tax.

Breaking Down The $25 Million

The $25 million will fund:

  • $20 million – Artificial turf for 20 Fields
    • Approx. $1 million per field
    • 18 multi-dimensional diamond fields,
    • Plus, two rectangular multi-use fields
  • $500,000 – Landscaping & Common Areas
    • Flower beds and aesthetic landscaping
  • $1.2 million – Sidewalks & Parking Upgrades
    • Entryway and sidewalk connectivity
  • $1 million – Fence, Shade & Dugout Work
    • Overall fence work, shade areas & dugout upgrades
  • $1.5 million – Concessions & Building Upgrades
    • Remodeling and upgrading buildings.
  • Miscellaneous Expenses – $400,000
    • Various Aesthetic Upgrades
  • Design – Permits or Consulting Fees – $400,000
    • Potential fees for design or consulting

Escambia County Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said a conversion to article turf fields will also eliminate the need and expense of fertilizers, pesticides, water, and mowing.

Stakeholder Support

The project has received letters of support from key stakeholders, including:

  • NEP Baseball
  • 2D Sports
  • USSSA
  • USFA
  • UWF
  • PSC
  • Home2 Suite – Davis Hwy.
  • Courtyard West Pensacola
  • Zen Hospitality
  • Escambia County Destination Marketing Organization

Comments

6 Responses to “Commission Approves In $25 Million In Tourist Dollars To Upgrade John R. Jones Complex, Including Artificial Turf”

  1. Scott on May 2nd, 2025 5:10 pm

    Bleachers would be nice

  2. SM on May 2nd, 2025 3:25 pm

    Better start on expanding all of the roads as EVERTHING in this area is already overcrowded!

  3. me on May 2nd, 2025 2:57 pm

    Yeah, never should have turned this park into a ball field, also known as: endless money pit.

  4. Just saying on May 2nd, 2025 11:11 am

    Astroturf cheap to maintain bad on knees

  5. Frank on May 2nd, 2025 9:37 am

    Artificial turf looks awesome but literally MELTS the kids shoes.
    When we played in Bilox Ms. It was terrible.

    Might want to reconsider that portion.

  6. Better Growth on May 2nd, 2025 9:02 am

    Great addition to the 9 Mile area ! It will make families want to move there because of the park. Now can we PLEASE do something about these smoke shops…. Stop selling to nonsense companies just to make a quick Buck.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News