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Palm Beach County tourism leaders banking on big economic impact from Super Bowl LIV

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Posted at 12:56 PM, Dec 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-09 18:52:30-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s the biggest single-day sporting event in the United States, and in February, South Florida will host Super Bowl LIV.

The big game is an event that the Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission said could be a game changer for the tourism economy.

"The impact is enormous," said George Linley. "So the last time the Super Bowl was in South Florida we had an independent study that projected $234 million dollar economic impact and $12 million landing right here in Palm Beach County."

That was a decade ago. This time, Linley sayssaid 1,200 hotel rooms in Palm Beach County were apart of the official bid to host the games. The NFL requires 15,000 total hotel rooms to bid for a Super Bowl game.

Also, Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker is on the host committee, and they are teaming up with Brightline in hopes of getting attendees on board to visit the Palm Beaches.

"We are aligning ourselves with various municipalities, all of the TDC agencies, with the county, with our parks and rec systems, to host a variety of Super Bowl celebration events," Linley said.

Over at Rosemary Square, which is right next to the Brightline station in West Palm Beach, markerting director Sasha Jozefczyk said they too will be hosting a Super Bowl themed event.

"We have an event on Friday, January 31st called Friday Night Lights, which is a Super Bowl themed event. Family friendly activities we’ll have right here in the square," Jozefczyk said.

After an off season of construction, they are hoping this event will put them back in the game.

"January is usually a really big month for us so we are looking forward to seeing how this is really going to tip the needle," Jozefczyk said.

"The Palm Beaches will be ready to make the most of this opportunity. Super Bowl 54 will not just be live in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, but also live in the Palm Beaches," said Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner.

On Monday, the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee traveled via Brightline to West Palm Beach to host a '54 Days To Super Bowl' news conference.

They were joined by Linley, representatives from Brightline, along with county leaders, to highlight numerous events taking place throughout the Palm Beaches during the week leading up to Super Bowl LIV in February.

"We are excited to partner with the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee and to create an environment for visitors that allows the Super Bowl to live in the Palm Beaches," said Kerner.

Celebrations will kick off on Monday, Jan. 27 with two football camps, one at Lake Lytal Park and another at Glades Pioneer Park.

NFL alumni will also visit St. Mary's Medical Center and Palms West Hospital.

The largest Super Bowl party will take place in Palm Beach County at Clematis By Night on Thursday, Jan. 30 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event will include a turf playing field, NFL players and mascots, and much more.

For fans who want to watch the game on the water, the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line will host a Super Bowl party and will set sail from the Port of Palm Beach.

You can watch Super Bowl LIV on our partner station, WFLX FOX 29, on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.