Longboat pickleball demand continues with request for more courts

What to do about pickleball at Bayfront Park? That’s the question that Longboat Key Town Commissioners have pondered since the beginning of the year when fans of the sport first appeared before them asking for help in meeting the demand of the growing sport. 

As seasonal residents fly back north for the summer, some of the issues surrounding the demand may wane, but a solution still needs to be sought ahead of another seasonal crowd and continued popularity growth of the sport. 

Fans of the sport have come to commission meetings seeking additional courts, whether through the construction of new courts or the re-striping of a tennis court that is not used as often. 

The park currently has five courts available, allowing for a maximum of 20 people to play the sport at any given time. In February, resident Dave Levine told commissioners that more than 40 people can be waiting to play on one of the courts. 

“We have an activity that is growing and doubling almost every year,” he said during the commission’s annual goals and objectives meeting. “We have a situation where we don’t have any alternative to play publicly, except at Bayfront Park right now.”

In peak season, it's likely the sport prevents others from using the area as beach parking, letting their dogs play at the newly renovated dog park or taking their grandchildren to the playground. The issue shifted discussion to the park’s original intent — to serve as a multi-amenity park. 

“It was supposed to be an all-encompassing park to meet all the needs of many different activities,” Commissioner BJ Bishop said of the creation of the park’s master plan. 

Because the demand for the sport is only expected to grow, commissioners discussed the potential for implementing a court reservation system or fees for court use. For example, at the Key Club, members must reserve time to use the courts. 

“When you want to play clay tennis … it requires a tremendous amount of resources,” Levine said. “It absolutely requires a reservation system.” 

But, he said pickleball is more of a “come as you want to” sport that does not require many resources or lend itself to a reservation system. 

“The nature of the activity allows dozens and dozens of people to have the kind of recreation that they like,” he said. “Monetizing and having a reservation system is not the way to go for this park, in my opinion.”

Commissioners have previously expressed distaste with the lack of willingness to try a reservation system to help alleviate strain on the courts and parking, citing a reservation system being used for tennis and at other pickleball courts in the area. 

Public Works staff surveyed the island and counted about 53 additional pickleball courts present on the island outside of those at Bayfront Park whether they be in neighborhoods, condominium associations or the Longboat Key Club. 

Players at the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center have to either pay hourly fees for use of the park or annual dues, depending on how much they foresee themselves using the space. 

The Friends of Tennis group is also known for the funding they accumulate themselves for projects and improvements they want to see to the facility. 

“While you talk about all the money that tennis is getting, what you fail to recognize is that to play the sport it costs money, and it costs money every day tennis players play,” Bishop said. 

She also cited the agreement that was set between the town and Sarasota County that covers the details of terms and maintenance for the southern 3-plus acres of Bayfront Park. The agreement outlined restrictions for use of the land, which include no addition of hard court recreation amenities to the southern portion of the park. The current courts are on the northern, town-owned portion of the park. 

Six additional parking spaces have recently been added to alleviate some of the parking strain felt by others wanting to use the park during peak pickleball hours.