TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Members of the Capital City Country Club voted to transfer control of club to a group of private investors. <\/p>\n
According to the club president Fred Baggett, members voted 167-9 at a Monday meeting.<\/p>\n
That group of investors includes Patrick Zalupski, a real estate developer who owns Major League Baseball team the Tampa Bay Rays. <\/p>\n
The transfer comes after a letter to members<\/a> indicating that raising membership fees or selling to a private company would be needed to help pay for renovations. <\/p>\n In a statement from the Capital City Country Club, the investor group has offered \u201clegacy membership rates to current members.\u201d The investors will also hire an \u201cinternationally acclaimed golf architect to restore the course,\u201d the statement said. <\/p>\n More Tallahassee news: <\/p>\n Capital City Country Club General Manager Evan Niehaus confirmed to WCTV that the investor group is required to keep the property a golf course and members would not see any immediate changes.<\/p>\n The letter send out to members ahead of Monday\u2019s meeting also said the investor would honor the current agreement with Florida A&M University that allows for limited use of the course for university tournaments. <\/p>\n The Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) spoke out against the transfer, in large part because the City of Tallahassee only just recently sold the course to the country club.<\/p>\n Pushback also stems from unmarked graves of formerly enslaved<\/a> people that sit on the golf course in a cemetery. A memorial is being constructed after years of delay.<\/a><\/p>\n Construction likely won\u2019t begin until 2028, according to the letter sent to members.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n