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Residents and sports leaders urge council to keep Fort Myers Stadium city‑run
Summary
Dozens of residents, coaches and program leaders told the City Council they rely on the Fort Myers Stadium for affordable youth and adult sports and urged officials not to privatize the facility while negotiations over an RFP continue.
Dozens of parents, coaches and longtime program leaders urged the Fort Myers City Council on Jan. 6 to keep the Fort Myers Stadium under municipal control, saying city ownership preserves affordable programs and staff jobs.
Charles Barnes, board chairman of the Lee County Black History Society, told council members the stadium and its related programming are critical community assets tied to local culture and youth development. “The city of Fort Myers and I, you know, organization have been working on this project,” Barnes said during public comment, outlining how local nonprofits partner with the facility.
Multiple speakers described the stadium as a community hub that hosts learn‑to‑skate classes, junior hockey, figure‑skating and senior leagues. “The stadium is an integral part of these players' journey and is also an integral part of the community as well,” Michael Janello, a coach with the Florida Eels junior hockey program, said. Labor and community speakers cautioned privatization could raise fees and reduce access for low‑income families and might jeopardize roughly a dozen staff positions.
Labor representatives and program leaders urged the council to weigh social benefits, services for youth and economic impacts of sporting events. Richard Jones, business manager for the Painters Union, asked the council to “keep the stadium under city management,” calling it a park that should remain accessible to residents.
City Attorney Alley cautioned council members that the city is in an active negotiation stage related to a previously issued RFP and advised elected officials not to adopt a course of action that would be inconsistent with that procurement process. Councilmembers said they would not make an immediate motion but asked the city manager to consider the public input during ongoing negotiations.
The discussion concluded with councilmembers urging staff and the manager to balance fiscal and social considerations and to return with options; no formal policy change was made at the meeting.
