Hurst is turning over the keys to its two municipal pools to a Florida-based operator, a big shift city leaders say is meant to keep the summer swim season from sinking under staffing and maintenance problems. The handoff, which the city says began in January 2026, moves day-to-day operations to Sports Facilities Companies after months of strain on the parks department.
Why the city made the switch
City staff told council that persistent lifeguard shortages, rising repair and regulatory costs, and increasingly technical water-quality demands had stretched the department thin. The two facilities together serve more than 45,000 visitors each summer, a volume that has become tougher to manage with limited staff and budget.
According to the City of Hurst, those pressures, combined with financial constraints, pushed officials to consider bringing in a specialist operator rather than continuing to run the pools in-house.
What the contract includes
Staff estimated that a contracted management fee would start at about $20,000 per month in the first year, with annual inflation adjustments of 5 to 7 percent and an initial term of at least three to five years, the report states.
Routine operating costs will still be paid directly by the city, and capital improvements will continue to flow through Hurst’s regular capital projects process, coordinated with the new operator, according to the City of Hurst. In other words, the city is outsourcing management, not ownership.
Who Sports Facilities Companies is
Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), based in Clearwater, Florida, bills itself as a national operator that manages sports, recreation, and aquatics venues for municipalities and private developers. The company pitches its model as a way for cities to tap professional management and shared systems instead of running facilities alone. See Sports Facilities Companies for more on its operations.
The city’s aquatics information confirms that SFC assumed operations in January 2026 and is now running Hurst’s two aquatic centers. Details on the transition appear on the aquatics pages for the City of Hurst.
How the city is paying for it
Local reporting indicates the city is leaning on a mix of property taxes and economic development money to steady the books during the changeover. According to the Fort Worth Report, Hurst is subsidizing the centers with about $1,000,000 in property-tax receipts and another $700,000 from an economic development fund while officials work to trim costs through economies of scale and better concessions.
City leaders are effectively betting that a private operator can run the pools more efficiently without cutting into core services.
Legal and procurement notes
Hurst staff said the deal will be executed through an authorized cooperative purchasing program, a route that lets cities work with specialized operators without going through a traditional sealed-bid process for every contract.
Staff cited an exemption in state law that allows certain contracts for professional services and specialized facilities to bypass standard competitive bidding. See Texas Local Government Code Sec. 252.022(a)(7) for the specific provision the staff report referenced.
What swimmers should expect
City officials say the basics are not going anywhere. Learn-to-swim classes, splash-pad access, and staple summer events are expected to continue under SFC’s management, with the city still setting policy and expectations.
Hurst is also actively recruiting seasonal lifeguards for the 2026 season, even with the outside operator in place. For schedules, program details, and job information, the aquatics section of the City of Hurst lists facility updates and a contact number for questions.
