Cape Coral is getting 32 new pickleball and tennis courts, but there is a fee to play

CAPE CORAL, Fla. – The long-awaited Lake Kennedy Racquet Center in Cape Coral opens Wednesday, bringing 32 brand-new pickleball and tennis courts to the area, but the opening is not without controversy.

This pricing structure was presented to the City Council back in May and showed that a single resident could pay up to $540 annually to play on the pristine courses.

But after some people in the community, including council members, expressed their displeasure with these numbers, they responded with the following…

City of Cape Coral

“Residents had an opportunity to speak up. The city council obviously listened to them,” said Tom Stegeman, executive director of the Lake Kennedy Racquet Center.

Tom Stegeman met with FOX 4’s Bella Line the day before the opening and said he understands it’s not affordable for everyone.

Check out Bella’s full report below.

32 pickleball and tennis courts open Wednesday, but prices still embarrass some residents

“I was happy that the prices were high enough that someone could afford a membership for the cost of one lunch per month,” Stegeman said.

The Cape Coral City Council has decided to further reduce the initial fees for anyone who purchases a membership in the next few months.

However, some say the numbers still do not mean anything to them.

“It’s a for-profit company and no one is going to like the numbers,” said Bill Long, a local resident. “I’m against privatization. I’d rather see the funds used to help the city strengthen its own management capabilities in these places.”

Other people who have recently moved to the area have no problem paying the price.

“We play handball to make money, and normally renting a handball court costs $20 or more an hour. That’s $20 an hour, so you know $250 for a whole year is nothing. That’s less than a dollar a day,” said Bobby Bird, a resident originally from New York.

After a year of unsuccessful attempts to get the project off the ground, Stegeman is now happy that it is finally becoming a reality.

“There are so many opinions about this particular facility, I would just urge everyone to make their own judgment. Make your own decision whether this is worth it for you or not,” Stegeman said.

The Racquet Center opens on Wednesday and its first tournament will take place this weekend.