Retailers Blame Triathlon for Sluggish Sales During Event

CLERMONT, FL-It could be a case of the dog biting the hand that feeds it, but retailers in this south Lake County city of 8,600 permanent residents say they are giving that hand more than they are getting back. Clermont is 25 miles west of Downtown Orlando and is considered one of the area’s top bedroom communities.

Shopkeepers are criticizing promoters of the 10th annual Great Floridian Triathlon for not generating the customer traffic of past events and for paying only nominal fees to the city for use of public facilities. The promoters say they generated at least $1 million to the business community during last month’s event and are paying their fair share of expenses associated with the triathlon.

At the root of the criticism is one indisputable factor: a lack of sufficient hotel rooms or restaurant seats to house and cater to 875 athletes and their families arriving from worldwide locations. The immediate Clermont area, from Four Corners to Ocoee, FL has about 1,000 hotel rooms. It could use double that number for the event. But Downtown Clermont itself doesn’t have even 500 hotel rooms that would keep guests shopping and spending in the central business district.