Lake Placid residents press council to move forward on pickleball courts as legal, funding questions linger

Dozens of residents and local players urged the Lake Placid Town Council on Monday to move forward quickly with a long‑planned set of tournament‑grade pickleball courts, saying the project would bring youth activity, family recreation and tourism dollars to the town.

The calls to act came during the council’s public‑comment period, where speakers described strong local participation and regional tournament traffic and asked the council to finalize contracts and begin construction. “The Pickleball Club itself. We would pledge to help get these courts underway. We'll do free clinics. We'll provide paddles for any children that need [them],” said Dana Adams, introduced to the council as president of the Sebring Pickleball Club and a United States Pickleball ambassador.

The meeting included repeated appeals that the town finalize site work and construction contracts quickly. Charlie Wilson, a Lake Placid resident, told the council he had heard that the project was indeed “going forward” and urged the town to let a contractor start as soon as possible because builders are reportedly booked for months. Wilson also told the council the project is backed by outside funding, saying the community has secured “$200,000 from the state of Florida and a $300,000 match from FirdApp” (as stated during public comment).

Town staff and the council described the project as near completion of required steps but said some legal and title matters needed resolution before construction contracts could be finalized. The town attorney reported that a title search and title opinion have been completed and “there were some issues with the title on there… They’re being settled,” and that once those matters are resolved the town could move forward with the procurement process. Council members noted the contractor backlog in the region and the possibility that delaying contractual action could push the project further back.

Supporters and regular users described the courts as a community facility and a tourism draw. Jason Murphy, one of the regular players who organizes evening games, said free, lit courts “have a great presence of young people and young families” and urged construction because he regularly travels outside town to play. Opponents or cautious residents also spoke about maintenance and park condition, asking that playground and other park repairs be addressed alongside new construction.

Council members and staff emphasized the need to follow procurement and legal processes. Town staff said they will coordinate with the town attorney and contractor once title and permitting issues are settled. No new binding council vote to award a construction contract was recorded at the meeting; speakers encouraged the council to finalize outstanding legal items and contract as soon as practicable.

For now, the town’s timeline is conditional: staff said they are ready to move once title questions are fully resolved and the contractor’s schedule permits. Council members also warned that changing the selected site could jeopardize grant funding that local presenters said was allocated specifically for the proposed location.

Residents who wished to follow the status were told to monitor council agendas and to contact the town administrator or the clerk for updates on title settlement and procurement steps.