At the March 9, 2022, Commission meeting a referral was placed for discussion on the Finance and Resiliency Committee agenda to discuss funding up to $16,463.00 for the Florida International University (FIU) 8th Annual Surf & Turf Beach Volleyball Invitational (the Event). 

Florida International University (FIU) is a not-for-profit organization and the producer of the 8th annual FIU Surf & Turf Beach Volleyball Invitational (the Event), which was held at Lummus Park on March 15th and 16th 2022. The fee waiver and requested sponsorship below, would need to be done retroactively, as the organization came to the administration in February 2022 to first discuss this request. The Event is an NCAA Women's Invitational Tournament, held annually in South Beach at Lummus Park Beach Courts. The tournament started with 4 teams in year 1 in 2012 and now is considered as the premier college hosted tournament in the nation. 

The event was free for the public to watch, with hundreds of spectators lining the serpentine, and offers a positive athletic, community benefit to the area, while offering economic impact, as teams and families stay in local hotels. 

This event featured 11 teams in 2019. It has slowly moved beyond COVID-19, and this year had a smaller total of five (5) teams participating.  Generally, a team would take 9-10 rooms for a minimum of two (2) nights.  This year, USC Beach Volleyball took 16 rooms at the Majestic for four (4) nights.  Approximately ten (10) more rooms at various hotels for 3 nights were booked by parents.

For 2022, the Event had the defending 2021 National Champion University of Southern California Trojans along with Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Memorial, Palm Beach Atlantic, and North Florida Universities participating. FIU plans to return to a larger tournament field with over ten teams traveling to Miami Beach for 2023. 

The organization requested a permit fee waiver, based on their not-for-profit status, and is also requesting that the Mayor and Commission consider providing a sponsorship to cover Police services.

Projected Fee waivers based on estimates:

$267.00     Application Fee

$267.00         Permit Fee

$644.00    Vehicles Beach Access Passes Fee

$9,240.00 Square Footage Fee (including sales tax)

$1,209.00      Lummus Park User Fee (25% of total City Services)

$11,627.00      Total Fees

Requested sponsorship based on estimated costs:

$4,836.00      Police Services

$4,836.00 Total City Services

The organization is requesting a fee waiver in the amount of $11,627.00 and a sponsorship of $4,826.00 to be used towards Police services.