Lakeland staff have warned commissioners for years that there's not enough fields to support the city's youth sports teams, and the issue has hit a a boiling point.
Roughly a dozen youth sports directors and involved parents addressed Lakeland commissioners at City Hall on Monday morning about the availability of field space for the city's youth sports programs.
Commissioner Stephanie Madden said at Friday's agenda study that the city has received a sudden influx of emails and phone calls from Lakeland Tropics soccer club parents asking the city to provide additional time and space.
"Our biggest goal is to develop the program and have more fields," restaurateur Marcos Fernandez, who sits on the Florida Tropics board of directors, said Monday. "In order for the Tropics to grow, we need more fields."
The Tropics have reportedly turned away about 300 kids looking to participate in program this year.
The Florida Tropics Academy rents time on two of the six multipurpose fields at John McGee Park on Edgewood Drive South. They rotate time on these fields with the Lakeland Gators youth football league and No Limits, which offers flag football and soccer leagues.
The Florida Tropics Academy has offered to pay the city $600,000 over a 10-year period to install lighting on two of the unlit multipurpose fields, helping extend the hours they can be utilized by youth programs. In exchange, the Tropics asked for exclusive use of the parks' fields to serve as the Tropics' home location.
"It's a great place for the Tropics to call home and grow a big recreational program," Fernandez said. "We're ready to move forward and give the city $6,000."
Bob Donahay, the ...
