New Development Could Be A Home Run For Vero Beach

A $37.3 million hospitality and entertainment development is planned near the Vero Beach Regional Airport and Jackie Robinson Training Complex, adding a 116-room hotel and a baseball-themed entertainment venue designed to capitalize on the city’s growing sports-tourism market.

The Vero Beach City Council approved a long-term ground lease for the project, which will be developed on a 3.45-acre site at 3800 Aviation Drive, northeast of the Jackie Robinson Training Complex.

The developer, VB Hotel 1 LLC, a subsidiary of Deerfield Beach-based Diversified Companies, plans to build a TownePlace Suites by Marriott along with a Home Run Dugout entertainment facility. The lease will run for 40 years and includes an option for a 10-year extension.

Diversified is also planning to lease an adjacent one-acre parcel where it hopes to attract a family-oriented restaurant operator.

Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027, with completion targeted for the fourth quarter of the same year.

The hotel is being designed specifically with traveling sports families in mind. Planned features include in-room kitchens, complimentary hot breakfast, a swimming pool, fitness center, lobby bar, flexible meeting space and concierge services.

The project’s location places it within walking distance of the Jackie Robinson Training Complex, where Major League Baseball hosts dozens of tournaments and events each year. The facility attracts more than 400 youth sports teams annually, creating a steady stream of visiting players, families and coaches.

The second major component, Home Run Dugout, will offer a high-tech baseball and softball experience similar in concept to Topgolf. Participants will use augmented-reality batting bays equipped with tracking technology that measures each hit and projects the results into virtual Major League Baseball stadiums.

The venue is expected to serve not only tournament families but also birthday parties, corporate gatherings and team-building events.

City officials also highlighted the project’s broader economic impact. Vero Beach Regional Airport Director Brandon Dambeck said the development is expected to generate more than $30 million in local economic activity and create more than 60 jobs.

The project is also tied to infrastructure investment at the airport. Diversified has already contributed $500,000 toward the local match required for a $1 million Florida Department of Transportation infrastructure grant.

For Vero Beach, the project represents more than the addition of another hotel. By combining lodging, entertainment and future restaurant space next to an established youth-sports destination, the development could help extend visitor stays, increase local spending and strengthen the city’s position in the sports-tourism market.

The development could also benefit from continued growth at the airport, including the addition of commercial airline service, giving the hotel another potential source of demand beyond tournament traffic.