MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — A wave of online rumors claiming new pickleball courts were planned for Veterans Community Park has divided some Marco Island neighbors — but city officials said the claims aren't true.
The rumor spread across social media and prompted concerns from people who worried that the popular downtown park could soon echo with the sound of paddles and plastic balls.
WATCH AS NEIGHBORS WEIGH IN THE FUTURE OF PICKLEBALL ON MARCO ISLAND:
"We don't need to hear pickleball pounding from 7 in the morning until I don't know how long," neighbor Frank DeAngelo said.
DeAngelo said Veterans Park is a sentimental community space and argued that adding more courts wouldn't make sense.
"Because there's plenty of pickleball courts and there's plenty of opportunities to play pickleball on the island," he explained.
But Marco Island's city manager confirmed the rumors are false, saying in an email to Fox 4 the city is not proposing new courts at Veterans Park and that "there are no formal proposals in this regard."
Meanwhile at the Marco Island Racquet Center, pickleball players unanimously agreed demand for the sport has surged.
"So what we're proposing is that we expand pickleball on this side where these tennis courts are and improve these two tennis courts over here," said Pat Campbell, an active member in the local pickleball group.
Campbell said the pickleball club at the Racquet Center has a waitlist of more than 500 people and needs more space to keep up with interest. He said Veterans Park is off the table, and that their group is seeking to expand within its existing footprint.
"What we're talking about is actually managing the growth by increasing play yes but also increasing the improvement of the courts and the improvement of the sound barriers for our neighbors," Campbell said.
Southwest Florida has become a hotspot for pickleball.
The group Lawn Love reports that Fort Myers has the most pickleball courts per 100,000 people nationwide. Meanwhile, Pickleheads.com lists at least 190 courts across the Naples and Marco Island area.
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