Our Policy Proposal

Put Kids First. Restore Public Accountability in Youth Sports.

Youth sports facilities across Florida are increasingly built or subsidized with taxpayer dollars — then operated by private, investor-backed companies.

That model only works when clear limits exist.

Right now, those limits do not.

Kids Over Profits exists to change that.

Join the Movement

The Problem We Are Solving

Florida governments routinely contract with private companies to manage youth sports and recreation facilities.

Over time, that delegation has expanded beyond management into something far more troubling: the monetization of access to public assets for private profit, without public approval.

This happens when:

Access itself becomes a revenue source

Families are charged simply to enter or use facilities their tax dollars helped build

Mandatory fees are imposed simply to attend, participate, or use public facilities

These unavoidable charges function like tolls on public property

Decisions are made through contracts rather than public votes

Fee authority is granted through administrative agreements, bypassing democratic accountability

Publicly subsidized facilities begin to function like private toll platforms.

That is a policy failure — not a family failure.

The Principle That Must Be Restored

Management Authority Is Not Taxing Authority

Government may outsource operations. Government may not outsource the power to impose tolls, taxes, or unavoidable access fees on public property without explicit authorization.

Any fee families cannot reasonably avoid functions like a tax — and taxes require public approval.

Private operators should never gain that authority by implication, silence, or contract ambiguity.

Our Proposed Solution

Kids Over Profits supports a narrow, common-sense reform in Florida law:

If taxpayers subsidize a youth sports facility, access to that facility may not be monetized for private profit without explicit public authorization.

This proposal:

Preserves private management partnerships

Allows efficient operations while protecting public interest

Respects local control

Empowers communities to make their own decisions transparently

Protects families and youth participation

Prevents unauthorized fees from becoming barriers to access

Restores transparency and accountability

Requires public authorization for any mandatory access fees

Below is model statutory language, drafted in Florida style, that implements this principle.

Proposed Florida Statutory Language

Limitations on Fee Authority for Taxpayer-Subsidized Youth Sports Facilities

Section 1. Legislative Findings and Intent

The Legislature finds that:

  1. Youth sports and recreational facilities play a vital role in the health, development, and well-being of children and families across this state.
  1. Many such facilities are constructed, maintained, or subsidized in whole or in part through public funds, public land, tax revenues, grants, or other governmental support.
  1. State and local governments may contract with private entities for the management and operation of these facilities; however, the delegation of management authority does not include the delegation of taxing or tolling authority absent express authorization.
  1. Clear statutory guidance is necessary to preserve public accountability, protect families from unapproved access charges, and ensure that taxpayer-subsidized facilities serve a public purpose.

It is the intent of the Legislature to clarify the limits of fee authority at taxpayer-subsidized youth sports facilities while preserving local control and private operational partnerships.

Section 2. Definitions

As used in this section:

  1. "Taxpayer-subsidized youth sports facility" means any sports or recreational facility primarily used for youth athletic or extracurricular activities that is:
  • Owned by the state, a county, a municipality, or a special district; or
  • Constructed, improved, maintained, or operated using public funds, public land, tax revenues, grants, or other governmental subsidies.
  1. "Private operator" means any private entity, including a contractor, concessionaire, management company, or affiliated entity, that manages or operates a taxpayer-subsidized youth sports facility pursuant to a contract or agreement with a governmental entity.
  1. "Mandatory access fee" means any fee, charge, or payment that a person must pay in order to:
  • Enter, attend, access, or use a taxpayer-subsidized youth sports facility; or
  • Participate in or observe youth sports activities at such facility; and that cannot reasonably be avoided.

Section 3. Limitations on Fee Authority

  1. A private operator of a taxpayer-subsidized youth sports facility may not impose or collect a mandatory access fee unless such fee is expressly authorized by:
  • General law; or
  • A local ordinance or resolution adopted at a duly noticed public meeting.
  1. The absence of express authorization in a management or operating agreement does not confer authority to impose or collect mandatory access fees.
  1. Any authorization to impose a mandatory access fee must:
  • Clearly identify the nature and amount of the fee;
  • Specify the permissible uses of fee revenue; and
  • Apply uniformly and transparently.

Section 4. Use of Authorized Fee Revenue

  1. Any mandatory access fee authorized pursuant to this section must be limited to:
  • Facility maintenance, repair, or capital improvement; or
  • Other direct public benefits related to youth sports programming.
  1. Mandatory access fee revenue may not be used primarily to generate operating profit, distributions, or returns for private investors or affiliated entities.

Section 5. Construction; Local Control Preserved

  1. This section does not prohibit:
  • Voluntary fees;
  • Optional premium services;
  • Fees imposed by a governmental entity acting within its lawful authority; or
  • Fees expressly authorized under existing law.
  1. This section shall not be construed to impair existing contracts; however, any renewal, extension, amendment, or material modification of such contracts must comply with this section.

Section 6. Effective Date

This act shall take effect July 1, [Year].

Why This Policy Works

It draws a bright line between management and taxation

It prevents private equity windfalls built on public assets

It protects families without banning private partnerships

It avoids retroactive contract impairment

It gives counties and operators clarity going forward

Most importantly, it restores the proper purpose understood by every parent:

Youth sports exist for kids — not private profit.

Our Ask

We call on Florida lawmakers to advance this reform and put families first.

Kids Over Profits is organizing parents, coaches, and taxpayers to support legislation that restores accountability and keeps public assets serving a public purpose.

Kids over profits is not a slogan. It is a policy choice.