By TRINA “INDI” JOHNSON
Special to the PRESS
“This is for everyone,” Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said as he promoted Proposition A
during an April 30 South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce’s Coffee and Conversations event held at
Padre Island Brewing Co. Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. spent the morning advocating for a proposed
multipurpose arena he says will bring lasting economic benefits to the region.
Treviño again assured attendees that the project would not raise property taxes. “There has been a lot of
misinformation put out there that a yes vote is going to impact property taxes, etc.,” he said in an April
interview with the Rio Grande Guardian. “The resolution that the County Commissioners Court approved
sets out that this particular project, while it may have other funding sources, the property tax will not be the
source of that.”
Funding would instead come from hotel occupancy and car rental taxes, along with public-private
partnerships and potential state and federal grants. Treviño estimated the arena could generate up to 10,000 jobs and significantly boost year-round tourism.
“I believe in this project,” Treviño said. “We need to worry about tomorrow, not just yesterday,” he added during a later portion of the discussion.
He has called the arena a “quality-of-life” investment—language also used by the Brownsville City
Commission in a resolution backing the effort. His long-term advocacy was further highlighted in a recent
MyRGV.com report noting a letter of support he received from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
President Guy Bailey. The letter backs using hotel occupancy tax revenues to anchor the arena within the
larger Madeira development.
South Padre Island contributes 70 to 75 percent of the county’s hotel tax revenue, making it central to the
arena’s financial model.
In an April 2022 interview with ValleyCentral, Treviño explained, “This proposition is basically a yay or
nay vote authorizing the use of the venue tax, which consists of the hotel-motel and car rental taxes. Use
that revenue stream to pay for a portion of the project.”
“I try to look at the glass half full,” he said.
It was clear throughout the address that Treviño remains deeply committed to the project and sees the
arena as a long-term investment in Cameron County’s future.
For more information about Proposition A, visit the Cameron County website at www.cameroncountytx.gov.