ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – An 11.86-acre parcel of land in St. Johns County is now slated to be the future home of the Dark Horse fitness facility after commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to rezone four acres of the property for development.
Dark Horse was founded by Steffi Sorensen, a Bartram Trail High School graduate, former captain of the University of Florida women’s basketball team and a commentator on ESPN3.
The approval from the commission allows four acres of the nearly 12-acre property to be rezoned from Open Rural to Planned Unit Development.
The land, which is currently undeveloped, is on the north side of Greenbriar Road, about 1.25 miles west of Longleaf Pine Parkway and only about 2 miles from Sorensen’s alma mater, Bartram Trail High.
Sorensen and her backers can now use the property to build Dark Horse, a 21,000-square-foot health and fitness facility, along with a 12,250-square-foot covered turf field.
READ: Application for rezoning of property on Greenbriar Road
“The vision for Dark Horse stems from my 30 years of personal athletics and extensive research on the changes in health and wellness,” Sorensen said in a news release. “And not just on the collegiate or professional level, but rather optimizing health on a personal level and seeing how it can transform someone’s life, regardless of age.”
The release said the facility is anticipated to open in 2027.
“Dark Horse is the vehicle to deliver my biggest dream – a community space that offers locals a wide variety of services that are hard to find in one setting,” Sorensen said. “Now more than ever, I am ready to bring the future of health and wellness to my hometown.”
According to the application to the county, Dark Horse will offer a member-based, community-focused health and wellness facility that will include “amenities not presently available in the area.”
The company’s news release says, “Dark Horse will offer group classes – from beginners to challenging, personal training, powerlifting stations, organically grown member group recovery sessions, as well as the latest in strength and cardio equipment.”
The main building will be climate-controlled and equipped with modern fitness amenities and will feature workout, recovery and wellness activities, as well as social and educational programs.
The release said that meeting the demand for youth training was essential to the gym’s mission because of Sorensen’s ties to the community.
Whether sports-specific or keeping children active, the turf aims to be a place where future Dark Horses are bred. The gym will also provide its members with a “screen-free” physical fitness child care program.
The covered turf field will be for training purposes and general wellness activities and will not feature pickleball, tennis, football or soccer games.
The company says the Dark Horse name is inspired by Sorensen’s own story of perseverance. She opted to walk on at “her dream school,” the University of Florida, rather than accept a scholarship at the University of South Florida.
A self-described “dark horse,” Sorensen graduated as team captain and most valuable player, starting every game while breaking the university’s single-season 3-point percentage record.
Sorensen said she also wasn’t admitted to the journalism program at UF, but still landed a job working for ESPN as a college basketball analyst for the last decade.
Sorensen’s background in fitness started after college when she became a local, certified personal trainer. While she left her training role to pursue a career in television, she says that her passion for health and wellness has never wavered.
“Our health is the most valuable investment we can make as human beings. Health isn’t just what we look like, it is our physical and mental well-being that is shaped by the community we form around us,” she said.
According to the application with the county, the entrance for Dark Horse will be on Greenbriar Road, and the facility will be open from 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Partners of the project include The Angelo Group for construction and Cronk Duch Architecture for design services. Dark Horse will begin the permitting phase of the project immediately, the company said, and will release renderings when they are available.
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