Winter Springs reports $23,000 in pickleball revenue; cities debate tennis vs. pickleball court allocation

Parks Manager Michael Crist reported to the advisory committee that the Central Winds Park pickleball complex has been open for about a year and has generated more than $23,000 in program revenue and an additional $18,000 from reservations.

Crist said the city charges tournament rental fees — $2,000 for residents and $3,300 for nonresidents for a full-day rental — and that reservation demand is high: “I've been out there on a Monday, Tuesday night, and we have 150, 200 people out there,” he said. He added that the city’s first large tournament drew 296 sign-ups.

Crist told members the total capital cost for the pickleball facility was approximately $3,200,000 and that it was classified as a capital item in the budget. “It was a capital item,” he said, describing a mix of funding sources including park impact fees and reserves.

Committee members and residents raised concerns about tennis availability. Several speakers said tennis play has declined at Trotwood Park since pickleball’s expansion; Crist said the city plans to renovate Trotwood’s tennis area, adding four permanent pickleball courts and resurfacing the existing tennis courts. He described design ideas to reduce player conflict — a secondary entrance, a bump-out for seating, and clearer separation between tennis and pickleball spaces — and said no permanent decision had been made yet on reducing or restoring tennis courts.

Crist said Central Winds’ 14 courts were built because of resident demand and that the city expanded an original plan for six courts. He said players come from outside the city to use the facility and that tournaments have made the site a regional draw.

Committee members asked for usage studies and for staff to return with data on foot traffic and court utilization. Crist offered to provide monitoring data and to compare other nearby cities’ court inventories.