Civic Center site, Toho Square would get 350+ hotel rooms, condos in $200M investment
The Kissimmee City Commission Tuesday chose proposals from Azure Hotel International and Skyview Companies to develop hotel, mixed use and condominium complexes at the current sites of the Kissimmee Civic Center and Toho Square in downtown.
The two projects represent nearly $200 million in investment in downtown Kissimmee.
Members of a local hospitality workers union turned out en masse to support a Hyatt hotel proposal from the Kissimmee Place Development Group (KPDG) opposite of the Skyview project – and in many ways oppose the Skyview plan – to be built on the current site of the city’s Toho Square parking garage.
The Unite 737 hospitality industry union and other residents who rallied prior to the meeting outside City Hall and spoke during public comment overwhelmingly supported the Hyatt plan, which featured leasing the property under the hotel from the city over the Skyview plan, which would see the city sell it to the developer.
Skyview’s original plan, presented in May, called for 113 extended day suites, a plan sharply criticized then by members of the hospitality union – and commissioners. Skyview, which is developing The Allen apartment project near HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, would deliver a 128-room Sonesta Hotel, 20 condominium units, a rooftop restaurant and entertainment amenity, new city park and commercial space that will likely attract a grocery store to serve those condominiums and the rest of a growing downtown resident population.
The Hyatt, which would have brought 160 hotel rooms and an extension of the parking already in place at the Toho Square garage (which both projects would have wrapped around), would have leased the land from the city for $250,000 yearly. Instead, Skyview will buy the land, the sticking point of the Unite Here 737 workers’ union.
“It would be shocking to accept spending $3 million or earning $10 million,” Unite 737 Research and Political Director Ella Wood said “While both projects (at the Civic Center and Toho Square) will bring in a number of hospitality jobs, (the Hyatt project) would have brought in a long-term economic benefit.
“After the meeting, I heard a lot of anger and shock from our members that commissioners would overlook them like that. I heard nothing positive.”
Commissioners, on the other hand, took KPDG officials to task for not adding resident-owed units and commercial space to their May proposal, and unanimously voted for the Skyview project, which its leaders said could be delivered in late 2026 if construction begins without delay.
KPDG already has a deal with the city to develop a hotel and mixed-use project on Martin Luther King Boulevard near the Kissimmee Gateway Airport, which will break ground Monday.
At the Civic Center, Azure – the company that brought Lake Nona the upscale Wave Hotel – was selected to deliver an eight or nine-story hotel tower with 200-250 rooms and a completely rebuilt 25,000 to 35,000 square foot convention center, depending on the size of the hotel. The city, which will hammer out an agreement with the developer later –will retain ownership of the center, one of its prerogatives, and pay Azure a 20% management fee to operate it. The city will also receive 5% of the hotel’s revenue – an Azure official say Tuesday the average room rate will be about $175 per night. If construction begins on-time in 2026, the convention center could be delivered in late 2028 and the hotel completed in 2029, Azure officials said. The project would create about 350 temporary construction jobs and 125-175 permanent hospitality positions.
The Tuesday agreements set in motion a change in the downtown Kissimmee skyline – and path forward, Mayor Jackie Espinosa said.
“Today sets the road for where and how we want to see Kissimmee grow, so it’s important we make the right decisions,” she said.
City leaders also gave the final approval to establish a Civilian Police Oversight Board, a five to seven-member panel of those who live or work in Kissimmee chosen by Police Chief Chuck Broadway tasked with reviewing Kissimmee Police Department policies and procedures. One member must be a retired law enforcement officer. Those on the board will serve one or two-year terms.
“The Board shall be advisory to the Chief of Police,” the ordinance that created it reads. “The Board shall review policies, procedures, rules, regulations, general, or special orders upon request of a City of Kissimmee Commissioner, a member of the Board, the City Manager, a designee of the City Manager, the Chief of Police, or a designee of the Chief of Police.”
The board would provide a written report to Broadway with recommendations.
A prior version of the board started in 2021, but the city dissolved it after the state leaders passed new legislation that stripped such boards of most oversight powers. It became a priority when three new commissioners were sworn in in November 2024, weeks after a report that cases of “excessive or unnecessary force” were not properly reported to FDLE or the State Attorney’s Office, going back nine years across police multiple chief administrations, came to light. The new board, including Mayor Jackie Espinosa, made it a priority.
“We do this oversight board of citizens so we can assure communicating is a priority and being proactive,” she said at her first meeting.
Broadway said following Tuesday’s City Commission meeting that he’ll go forward with the membership application process, noting he didn’t yet have names in mind.
