Collier County’s most popular aquatics park, Sun-N-Fun Lagoon, will now be able to fund its remaining repairs and new water features through tourism tax dollars.
A state-required study by Chicago-based Hunden Partners showed Sun-N-Fun, located within North Collier Regional Park at 1500 Livingston Road, drew at least 173,100 visitors yearly —46% from outside Collier — paving the way for use of the county’s 5-cent bed tax, which is paid by visitors who lease rentals of six months or less, including hotels, Airbnbs, mobile homes, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds. The county Tourist Development Council recommended accepting the study and using those visitor taxes to improve Sun-N-Fun and boost tourism.
“The average Sun-N-Fun Lagoon visitor visits the park nearly six times a year, spending more than two hours per visit,” Hunden’s report said. “Additionally, nearly half of visitors dine, shop or stay at hotels afterward, contributing to the county’s economic impact. These statistics highlight Sun-N-Fun Lagoon’s impact as a tourism attraction, showing that visitors contribute to local spending within the county.”
The vote also means the county can move forward with hiring a manager for Sun-N-Fun and its four other aquatic parks as part of a public-private partnership that’s being negotiated. Due to needed repairs and maintenance issues, Sun-N-Fun had been closed since fall 2023, reopened for spring break this year before closing for repairs and reopened in May as repairs continued. It opened this month after slide and other repairs were completed.
Hunden Partners, which interviewed visitors, stakeholders and others, and reviewed data, determined Sun-N-Fun’s annual visitation had consistently decreased from 158,000 visitors in 2018 to 86,000 visits in 2023, mainly due to ongoing maintenance and quality issues. Before closing, it drew an average of 173,100 visitors yearly, including 17,050 from 25 to 100 miles away and 21,125 from more than 100 miles away; the rest were locals.
“This does not mean that Sun-N-Fun is their sole reason for visiting Collier County but is an asset and an amenity that improves their overall stay within the county,” Hunden Director Matthew Avila told commissioners. “… One key finding that we found throughout our analysis is the introduction of new features is a way to improve visitation, keep people coming to the park, as well as draw more tourism.”
Hunden used county records and Placer.ai, a location analytics company that collects geolocation data from mobile devices to generate foot traffic insights and other location-based analytics.
Its study found Sun-N-Fun’s actual financial losses are higher than reported because some maintenance costs are covered under other financial statements, making the full operating deficit less visible. Hunden looked at two scenarios, current operations versus adding private management and amenities, while considering competitors’ amenities and pricing.
Great Wolf Lodge, aquatics facilities in Golden Gate Community Park and Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Community Park, and Ave Maria Water park are located in Collier County but don’t compete with Sun-N-Fun because they’re community pools with no more than two slides so they attract a “more casual, neighborhood audience,” the report says. Its closest competition is Sun Splash Family Waterpark in Cape Coral and Brightwater Lagoon in North Fort Myers, but they’re at least 35 miles away from Sun-N-Fun.
Sun-N-Fun, which opened in 2006, features six pools for all ages, five water slides, a Lazy River, an interactive, illuminated splash pad, water-dumping buckets and water pistols. The 38-foot-high water slides range from 220- to 350-feet long, and the Sea Lion slide — the largest and most popular — sends riders spiraling down inner tubes into the 1,250-foot Lazy River. There’s no charge for toddlers up to age 3; it’s $6 for children up to 4 feet tall; $11 for county residents, with discounts for seniors and veterans; and noncounty residents pay $13.
The study noted that in a crowded market, constantly updating and refreshing the facility’s offerings helps maintain a competitive edge over other water parks and entertainment options, drawing in new customers. “New attractions can drive higher visitation and lead to reasonable price increases, which in turn contributes to increased revenue and ensures the financial sustainability.”
The study pointed out that there’s a huge demand for the park’s “sunbrellas,” and suggested large cabanas as rentals. Depending on size, those rates could be as low as $75-$125 daily for a tent accommodating four to six people and up to $175-$200+ for eight to 12 people. In comparison, Cape Coral’s water park charges a $150-$175 daily rate for a cabana for eight to 10 people.
Other suggested amenities are a wave pool and a FlowRider surfing simulator, which costs between $500,000 and $2 million depending on the type of wave and structure. Its average capacity is 160-320 riders hourly.
Under its baseline scenario, which takes into account current amenities and repairs, Hunden estimates Sun-N-Fun will draw 115,000 visitors yearly, bring in $1.8 million in revenues, most from ticket sales, with expenses at nearly $1.7 million, mostly for salaries, wages and benefits for full-time employees. Hunden forecasts a net operating income of $117,000 the first year, stabilizing to about $91,000 in five years.
New net spending would be $69.8 million, bring in $69.8 million in net new earnings, and requiring 46 new yearly jobs. The report says that will generate $6.7 million in net new hotel and county sales taxes.
With new amenities, revenue for the first year is projected to reach over $2.9 million, and an additional $100,000 for cabana rentals that year. Operating expenses would be more than $2.2 million, with an additional management fee for a third-party company. Hunden forecasted a net operating income of $698,000 the first year, dropping to $572,000 in year five.
“We looked at several other parks, such as Sun Splash, which is a very popular park to the north of the county, and looked at what they charge and felt that the facility could charge slightly higher,” Avila told commissioners.
With added amenities, it suggested prices could rise to $16 for county residents, $24 for nonresidents, $12 for children under 48 inches and $10 for seniors and military veterans.
That would require $178.6 million in net new spending but bring in $75.9 million in net new earnings and require 49 new jobs. Those improvements would generate $7.2 million more in taxes.
The report noted that since transitioning to private management by ProParks Attractions Group in 2021, Sun Splash Family Waterpark has increased visitation, expanded attractions and successfully raised entrance fees.
A year ago, a public solicitation seeking proposals to manage the county’s five water parks resulted in a county selection committee choosing Alpharetta, Georgia-based StandGuard Aquatics Inc. out of three responsible bidders, including ProParks. StandGuard is undergoing negotiations before the selection becomes official with a vote by commissioners.
StandGuard Aquatics’ website says it’s worked with more than 100 governments and handles all facets of water parks, including programs, staff management, maintenance, marketing, retail sales and risk management.
Public-private partnerships aren’t new for Collier, which uses several private partners to manage various operations, including Paradise Coast Sports Complex, pickleball courts, marinas, boat ramps and sales operations at various parks.
