Sarasota-area youth hockey families could have four ice rinks within a short drive by 2028. Manatee County commissioners on Tuesday, July 22, approved business terms for a privately financed indoor sports and ice complex at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, clearing a major hurdle for the $70 million to $80 million project.
IceMann Development, the Wesley Chapel-based company behind the deal, will design, finance, build and operate the facility without county property tax dollars. The complex will include at least four ice rinks, a 2,500-seat arena, retail shops, restaurants and sports medicine facilities on roughly 22 acres of county-owned land at Premier Sports Campus North.
"It is really great to have a facility that is close to the center of population, so that you don't have to drive 15 miles to get to the ice rink," Commissioner Amanda Ballard said at the meeting.
The ice surfaces won't be single-purpose. Ballard said the rinks can be converted for gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, cheer and dance competitions, consumer shows and emergency shelter use.
Commissioner George Kruse called it a project that has been discussed for years and said the next step is for IceMann to submit a design and site plan for county-level approval. Once that clears, construction can begin. Kruse said he expects shovels in the ground within 24 months and kids playing hockey at the facility shortly after.
IceMann gets a 60-year lease with room to grow
Under the approved business terms, IceMann receives a 60-year lease with an option for a 30-year extension. The company pays $1 per year for the first three years, then $100,000 annually starting in Year 4, with 2% annual increases beginning in Year 5. County officials are also weighing up to $5 million in tourism bed-tax reimbursement for infrastructure work including utilities, drainage, landscaping and an 800-space parking garage, according to a Florida Politics report on the project's financing discussions in June.
Zimmermann brings a track record of NHL-caliber rinks
IceMann Development CEO Gordie Zimmermann founded the company in 2022. His portfolio includes AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, a 150,000-square-foot facility with three NHL-sized pads and one Olympic-sized pad that opened in 2017 and has received top national rankings from USA Today and Yelp reader polls. Zimmermann also designed and managed the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, now known as TGH Iceplex, the Tampa Bay Lightning's practice home.
Project fits county's broader sports tourism push
Premier Sports Campus already draws Sarasota-area families for soccer tournaments on its 23 FIFA-regulation fields. The campus added 24 pickleball courts and two pools at its North site earlier in 2026. Manatee County Chair Tal Siddique told Florida Politics on June 25 that the ice complex fits the county's broader sports tourism strategy alongside IMG Academy in Bradenton and the Sarasota Paradise professional soccer team.
Siddique also credited the Tampa Bay Lightning's success for driving youth hockey growth across the region. "Ice hockey has just become a massive sport for teenagers in high school," he said in the June 25 interview.
No hearing date has been announced for the site plan approval. Once IceMann clears that step, construction is expected to begin in early 2027.
