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.
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:
Youth sports and recreational facilities play a vital role in the health, development, and well-being of children and families across this state.
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.
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.
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:
"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.
"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.
"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
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.
The absence of express authorization in a management or operating agreement does not confer authority to impose or collect mandatory access fees.
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
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.
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
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.
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.