DOWNTOWN TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Leon County Commission voted 6-1 for Chairman Christian Caban to join county staff in Poland for discussions about making Leon County the permanent home of the World Cross Country Championships.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
The decision follows the success of January's races.
Preliminary reports estimate the event generated over $4 million for the local economy.
Caban will accompany county staff to meet with the World Athletics team to explore making Leon County the permanent home for the event.
"Investment like this is significant, not only for our neighbors, but for small businesses as well," Caban said. "So, right now we believe that there's an opportunity for us to land this deal."
The vote was not unanimous.
Commissioner Rick Minor casted the lone dissenting vote. Minor questioned whether the County should spend money on the trip.
"I just ask you guys respect my position. I've given it a lot of thought. I know you have too," Minor said.
Other commissioners tried to convince Minor to change his vote, emphasizing the importance of presenting a united front.
"It means a lot to say when you're abroad that it was a unanimous decision of our government," Commissioner Bill Proctor said. "We have to play big or go home."
Commissioner Nick Maddox argued this is an important step for sports tourism in Leon County.
"To know we have the capacity in Leon County to not just bring a state championship here, but a world championship here," Maddox said.
Despite the pushback, the motion passed with six commissioners in favor, and one dissenting.
Following the vote, Caban expressed optimism about the trip's potential.
"We'll have the official after event results come back. We'll fine tune them and see what it looks like," Caban said. "I'm sure there'll be a deal to be made."
According to agenda materials, the trip is scheduled for March.
A final report on the financial impact of January's event is expected at the end of this month.
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