Key Takeaways
- Pinellas County Flordia has earmarked $10.287 million in Penny for Pinellas sales tax money for Cross Bayou, more than half of an $18.287 million Seminole recreation program.
- Six aging diamonds would give way to seven new fields: four Little League fields in a cloverleaf, two softball fields and a tee-ball field.
- The county once projected the work would finish by August 2026. Construction has not started, and a contractor agreement goes to commissioners Nov. 17.
Pinellas County could spend $10.3 million rebuilding the Cross Bayou Athletic Association Complex, a Seminole sports complex near Lake Seminole in Florida, replacing six aging youth baseball and softball fields with seven new ones, Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reported on November 13, 2026. County commissioners are scheduled to consider an agreement with contractor Wharton-Smith on Nov. 17.
What the Cross Bayou Seminole Sports Complex Rebuild Includes
Plans show four Little League diamonds arranged in a cloverleaf, two softball fields and a dedicated tee-ball field, according to the report. The fields get new dugouts, covered bleachers and lighting, plus four batting cages.
Off the field, the project adds new concession stands, restrooms, a building for meetings and equipment storage, and parking and drainage improvements. Cross Bayou serves players across several age divisions, from kids learning to hit to older players on larger fields.
How Is Pinellas County Paying for the Rebuild?
The county has set aside $10.287 million for Cross Bayou from its Penny for Pinellas infrastructure sales tax, more than half of an $18.287 million capital program for Seminole-area recreation, per TBBW. The nonprofit athletic associations that run the complexes struggled to cover maintenance, and the county helped pay the bills. In December 2023, commissioners created a special recreation taxing district to give the facilities a steady funding source.
Cross Bayou is one piece of a three-site plan. A 2017 county assessment found it and two other complexes in unincorporated Seminole needed major repairs and more playing space. All three predate modern stormwater rules, and the required drainage would eat into field space. Planners responded by concentrating baseball and softball at Cross Bayou, soccer and multipurpose sports at the Seminole Junior Warhawks complex, and additional baseball, softball and football at the Seminole Youth Athletic Association property.
An August 2026 Finish Date Passed Before the First Shovel
In 2022, the county projected construction would begin in 2023 and wrap up by August 2026. That deadline came and went with no work underway. Wharton-Smith ranked first among six firms that competed for the job. Even if commissioners approve the agreement Nov. 17, two numbers remain unset: the final construction price and a start date.
Source / Adapted From: Tampa Bay Business & Wealth, Chuck Merlis, November 13, 2026, https://tbbwmag.com/2026/11/13/seminole-sports-complex/
Image: https://playorlandonorth.com/facilities/seminole-soccer/
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