5 things to know about Port St. Lucie Sports Club's soccer stadium

Port St. Lucie Sports Club is taking another public step toward its planned arrival on the Treasure Coast.

The professional soccer team has released new renderings of its proposed stadium and started taking deposits for season tickets for its 2027 inaugural season. The project is tied to a larger city goal for the Walton & One area at U.S. 1 and Walton Road, where Port St. Lucie has long sought to create a downtown-style destination.

The stadium is proposed on city-owned land and has an estimated cost of $50 million to $80 million. Team and city officials have described it as part of an economic-development effort, while the team says the venue is being designed for use beyond matchdays.

The city plans to reimburse the team's owners up to $27.5 million using tax increment financing, which is a subsidy that avoids using taxpayer funds directly.

Here are five things to know about Port St. Lucie SC's highly anticipated and controversial stadium.

1. What is Port St. Lucie SC planning?

Port St. Lucie SC is a professional soccer team that plans to begin play in USL League One, the third tier of the professional soccer pyramid in the U.S.

The team has unveiled renderings for a proposed 6,000-seat stadium. According to the team, the design includes restaurants, bars, a merchandise store, a large video screen and a fountain built around an anchor, the club's emblem.

2. Where would the stadium go?

The stadium has been approved for construction on city-owned land at Walton & One, at U.S. 1 and Walton Road. The site is in an area the city has wanted to turn into a downtown-style district.

According to city officials, the team is working with the city Community Redevelopment Agency on the project. Mayor Shannon Martin has described the stadium as an economic-development project for the city.

3. What is happening with tickets?

The team has begun accepting deposits for season tickets for its 2027 inaugural season.

Fans can place a deposit to hold their place in line to buy season tickets, which are not yet on sale, and could get a chance to choose their seating area, according to the team's website.

Season tickets begin at $180.

4. Who is behind the team, and what has it said?

The executives behind Port St. Lucie SC bring professional sports experience from abroad, primarily from Argentina.

In a statement to TCPalm, chief operating officer Diego Delledone said the latest renderings show the next step in bringing the club's vision to life.

The stadium, which would host professional games and recreational leagues, is estimated to generate up to more than $117 million in employment and capital investment after its first operational year, according to a 2024 forecast by the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County.

5. What is the timeline and who pays for it?

Port St. Lucie SC says it plans to break ground in November, and the stadium is scheduled to open in early 2028. The estimated cost is $50 million to $80 million.

If completed as planned, Port St. Lucie SC would join the St. Lucie Mets as the city’s second professional sports team.

This story was created by reporter Jack Randall [Jack.Randall@tcpalm.com] with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more: https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 5 things to know about Port St. Lucie Sports Club's soccer stadium