TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The future of the North Florida Fairgrounds is now under debate as the fair association and high-level county leaders enter into a negotiation window about oversight, spending and improvements at the fair.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday night, Leon County commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the negotiations. <\/p>\n
As for the status quo, the North Florida Fair Association rents the grounds for $1 per year for decades to come. Miranda Muir, the executive director of the fairgrounds, said that relationship was established years ago to ensure the land wouldn\u2019t be used for other purposes.<\/p>\n
The lease was renegotiated in the 1990s, she said, but the framework remained largely the same. <\/p>\n
Now, a joint city-county board that oversees a one-cent sales tax wants to spend<\/a> approximately $30 million to renovate the site. But to do so, the lease between the county and the fair association would need to change.<\/p>\n Fair leaders first raised the alarm that a hotel, strip mall or other \u201cmixed use\u201d development is possible under Blueprint\u2019s plan, which Muir said would disrupt the iconic Ferris wheel, carnival and parking lots. <\/p>\n She added the fair board does want public investment, but not plans that substantially disrupt the North Florida Fair.<\/p>\n Right now, the fair board is meeting to drop up its list of issues it would compromise on, and those it would not. Muir said she expects county staff, led by the chief executive, County Administrator Vince Long, to reach out soon. <\/p>\n Several county commissioners have criticized the lack of oversight over the fairgrounds. They say that while the county is the landlord, they have little control over a public asset. <\/p>\n That includes Commissioner Brian Welch and Commissioner Bill Proctor, who previously called for an investigation<\/a> into an expensive watch gifted to a former fair association employee. Muir said $10,000 of the watch\u2019s cost was covered by a private donor, and another $18,000 came out of the fair association\u2019s budget, not taxpayer money.<\/p>\n A proposal from county staff would also see county officials added to the fair board, including at least one commissioner, the parks and recreation director and others. <\/p>\n More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n Muir said the fair association is open to more county oversight, but pointed out that any member of the public is free to apply for a spot on the board.<\/p>\n If nothing changes, the fair association can continue to lease the land for at least another 45 years. Welch said he\u2019d like to see the lease taken over by the county government now.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it was up to me, we would seek a legislative remedy to dissolve the NFFA and let Leon County take over the fairground so that we could adequately invest in it and redevelop it into something really awesome and anchor the south side with a really cool redevelopment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n After news of the watch vote was broken by Red Tape Florida,<\/a> Sheriff Walt McNeil and others resigned from the fair board. Muir said she expects the board to be back to 15 members this spring. Welch addressed the resignations on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that speaks to the mentality, the kind of cult of personality that exists within the NFFA\u2019s board,\u201d he said. \u201cI think you saw a lot of high level resignations from that board after that.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite some feistiness at Tuesday night\u2019s meeting, Muir believes it was successful and that both sides can come to an agreement over the future of the grounds. Back in 2024, the Blueprint board, made up of all city and county commissioners, voted to accept the “Fairgrounds Master Plan<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Muir said Blueprint, however, cannot begin that plan unless the fair association agrees and amends its lease with Leon County. <\/p>\n The master plan calls for a \u201cmixed use development\u201d along South Monroe Street, which Muir called the front door to the fair. She worries a hotel or strip mall might be built there, taking away the midway. <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you do want a hotel on the site so that people that come to the fairgrounds can stay on a hotel, stay in a hotel on the grounds,\u201d Welch said. \u201cAnd so I think if it was me personally… we\u2019d relocate the fairgrounds to a better location.\u201d<\/p>\n The plan also calls for a \u201csports core\u201d that would replace the current RV and overflow parking, a \u201cresidential and preserve natural area\u201d along Paul Russell Road, and a new indoor meeting space nestled between some of the current buildings and Gene Cox Stadium.<\/p>\n Muir said the fair association board and county staff will attempt and come up with an agreement on which of those ideas, if any, the fair association can live with. She added that some of the $30 million could be used to renovate the current structures and create more indoor bathrooms.<\/p>\n The county commission\u2019s vote on Tuesday night called for staff to report back in 90 days about the status of the negotiations. Right now, the master plan calls for Blueprint to authorize construction of a renovated fairgrounds by \u201cmid to late\u201d 2026, though that\u2019s also contingent on a lease negotiation. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no way that you\u2019re going to tell me that the fair association wants to forego $30 million of investment into the property. I don\u2019t believe that,\u201d Commissioner Nick Maddox said. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s all because they don\u2019t feel like they\u2019re being heard. Commissioner Proctor, I bet you if we told them, \u2018Hey, we want to build bathrooms on your site.\u2019 They probably say, \u2018okay.\u2019 I don\u2019t think they turned that down, but there\u2019s something that it\u2019s like, \u2018well, you\u2019re going to build bathrooms.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Tune in to Eyewitness News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. for the full story. This article will also be updated this evening with all the details.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n