Charlotte County School Board recently adopted Policy 7250, allowing district schools to sell naming rights to their stadiums and athletic fields to businesses. Two schools wasted no time inking deals for a combined $120,000 that will benefit their athletic departments.
Port Charlotte High School entered into an agreement with Port Charlotte auto dealership Harbor Nissan, which will have its name on the football stadium and baseball field.
In the first of two signed contracts dated June 20, Freeland Moore Inc. doing business as Harbor Nissan, agreed to a three-year $30,000 contract with annual payments of $10,000 each to rename the school’s football field as Harbor Nissan Stadium.
In a second signed contract, Harbor Nissan agreed to pay $15,000 to rename the Pirates’ baseball field, Harbor Nissan Stadium.
Both contracts run through July 30, 2027.
“All proceeds are going to Port Charlotte High School’s athletic department. It will tremendously help our athletes, facilities and equipment. This is huge for Port Charlotte High School,” Athletic Director Robert Bruglio said.
Lemon Bay High School entered into a five-year contract June 28 with A-D Mortgage Loan Specialist, doing business as Custom Mortgage Corp., that will pay the school $75,000 in $15,000 annual installments.
The contracts were signed by district Superintendent Mark Vianello, school board Chair Cara Reynolds and the companies’ principals.
Charlotte High School Athletic Director Tom Massolio said he met with district officials in 2023 about allowing the sale of naming rights.
“Charlotte (High) is in the process of (selling) naming rights for the football stadium already,” Massolio said. “We are waiting on board approval, and I have been told in August we will be a go. We are still looking for naming rights on the soccer, baseball and softball fields. The funds for each will go to athletics to help out our programs.”
Signage plans are being developed by the companies and school board with Vianello and the businesses giving final approval.
Renaming of schools’ stadiums and fields is part of a growing trend across the county, seeking more revenue to support schools and their athletic departments.
School District of Lee County spokesman Rob Spicker said stadium naming rights deals began in 2017 in Lee with Dunbar High School naming its football stadium North Law Firm Stadium in a five-year, $114,480 deal and in 2018 with Bonita Springs High School signing a five-year, $292,000 contract with Lee Health for its football stadium, which is visible from Interstate 75.
The amount of money a business agrees to pay for renaming a sports facility depends on several factors, Spicker said. Among them are the popularity of the sport, ticket sales and visibility.
