PASCO CO., Fla. — It’s no secret, Pasco County is billed as ‘Florida’s Sports Coast.’
What You Need To Know
- Florida’s Sports Coast Open underway at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center
- The tennis tournament is attracting visitors from all over the world to Zephyrhills
- It comes at a time when Pasco County is seeing a population boom
And to certify those claims, some of the world’s best tennis players are gathering this week in Zephyrhillss for the Florida’s Sports Coast Open at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center.
One family moved to the area for this love of sport.
“We are here to watch and to help a little bit,” Helen Zimmerman said.
For Helen and Joachim Zimmerman, sport represents a little bit of work and play.
“They are in the top 50 of the world and they are so close,” says Zimmerman about this week’s Open. “It’s just fascinating.”
You’ll find them volunteering their time at this week’s Florida’s Sports Coast Open. It’s this love of sport, and the pretty good year-round weather, that tempted the Zimmerman’s to move from Germany and call the area ‘home’ for the last year. They even enrolled their son in the tennis academy.
“We just fell in love so we decided to move here,” she said.
It comes at a time when the county is seeing a population boom. In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reports Pasco County had a population of more than 584,000. In 2011, the population sat around 466,000 showing a sizable growth in population and development.
“The whole community, the whole neighborhood, is brand new,” Zimmerman said. “Then there are other developments right now. I think they talked about 80,000 people. Can you imagine? 80,000 people who are coming to this area!”
And just like the Zimmermans, it all has to do with the love of sport and opportunity.
“All the opportunities, the sports, you can do here all year round. That’s rare and that’s really fascinating for a lot of people to move here, especially as families and with their children,” she said.
