SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — For many in Leon County, the fairgrounds are more than the site of the annual fair; it's a place where community life unfolds. As county leaders consider changes to the property, longtime users are raising concerns about what those changes could mean.
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Tiffany and Ricky Ardley have hosted large community events at the fairgrounds twice a year for nearly a decade, drawing more than 3,000 people to gatherings like the Ardley All Black Party and the Ardley All White Party.
“Using this space is essential not only for us but for the community,” Tiffany Ardley said.
The Ardleys, longtime Tallahassee residents, say the fairgrounds offer something increasingly hard to find, an affordable, safe venue capable of hosting large-scale events.
"For us, the reason this space is perfect for is because of the building space as well as the parking space. So removing either of those entities would be a problem for us," Ardley said.
Proposed changes include the potential development of a hotel along Monroe Street, a move supporters say could spur growth in South Tallahassee.
"I'm not opposed to having a hotel brought to the south side of Tallahassee," Ardley said. "I do understand the importance that there's a lack of hotels on this side of town, especially for family football; however, I hope that there can be a compromise where that other organizations, not just us, but there are other organizations who use this space for various things, and I hope that those things aren't taken away because we are limited in venue space here in the City of Tallahassee,"
Event organizers, however, worry that reducing the size of the fairgrounds and shifting parking could disrupt how the space is used.
"Taking away half of our acreage and then moving parking down past the stadium means that our guests would have to walk a lot farther. You know, we have everything from the fair where you're in your tennis shoes and and shorts and t-shirts and out enjoying, and you can walk a little bit further," Miranda Muir, North Florida Fair Association Executive Director, said.
"But then the next weekend, we might have a wedding here at the fairgrounds where people are in formal dress and have heels and and so having this land really gives us flexibility to host many different things and to be a part of many different people's lives. And so we just simply don't feel like the plan that's in place right now is a good fit for us, and it's advantageous for us."
Muir says the organization has participated in discussions about potential changes but believes the current proposal would significantly limit the fairgrounds’ flexibility.
"We are open to further discussions at this time. We're not interested in renegotiating the lease based on what we've seen. But that doesn't mean that we can't go back to the table and look at. Essentially, if the county isn't interested in continuing things, we'd also be open to having the land back underneath the fairgrounds supervision. And so there are things that I think we can talk about, and there are discussions to be had, and we are open to those things, and hopefully we can get there, Muir said.
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