A loud outcry led Fort Lauderdale to backpedal on a plan to transform popular beachfront basketball courts into pickleball courts as part of a deal the city made with the developer of Bahia Mar.<\/p>\n
The new plan \u2014 set for a commission vote Tuesday night \u2014 would renovate the basketball courts<\/a> and keep them where they are.<\/p>\n Critics, however, are still fuming.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t want four pickleball courts built on the sand. They don\u2019t want sections of sand lined with artificial turf. And they don\u2019t want the new fitness equipment, grills and picnic tables moved south along the beach.<\/p>\n \u201cSome folks just don\u2019t want to agree to any change,\u201d Commissioner Steve Glassman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Sunday. \u201cWe see that happen all the time. Change is hard for some people.\u201d<\/p>\n Glassman, the district commissioner, says he\u2019s baffled as to why people aren\u2019t thrilled with the $2.5 million redesign.<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, located several blocks south of Las Olas Boulevard and directly across from Bahia Mar, was targeted for upgrades as part of the $200 million parks bond approved by voters in 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at this plan holistically, it has something for everyone,\u201d Glassman said. \u201cThe basketball is staying<\/a>. Pickleball and new fitness equipment are being added. It has lush landscaping. The AstroTurf is not the AstroTurf of 20 years ago. It\u2019s eco-friendly. It\u2019s all made with organic material. You wouldn\u2019t know that if you read all the comments on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n The deal, part of the $2 billion makeover of Bahia Mar, won commission approval in January 2024.<\/p>\n In exchange for a 100-year lease, developer Jimmy Tate<\/a> and his partners have promised to turn the taxpayer-owned peninsula into a mini-Monaco paradise<\/a> with a five-star St. Regis hotel and four sleek condo towers.<\/p>\n The Bahia Mar Community Development District has agreed to contribute $1 million to the redesign of Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. Another $1.3 million will come from the parks bond. Another $200,000 will come from a grant or park impact fees.<\/p>\n The redesign will take three years or more to complete, city officials say.<\/p>\n Ted Inserra, president of the River Oaks Civic Association, has been one of the redesign\u2019s most vocal critics.<\/p>\n \u201cOriginally it was two pickleball courts,\u201d Inserra said. \u201cNow it\u2019s four. We don\u2019t want more concrete poured on the beach sand. And we don\u2019t want fake grass either. We don\u2019t even want real grass. It\u2019s a beach.\u201d<\/p>\n