Plan to replace basketball courts with pickleball on Fort Lauderdale beach sparks backlash
A small sign with big impact went up late last week near the public basketball courts toward the southern end of Fort Lauderdale beach: “Coming Soon: Basketball court conversion to pickleball.”
The sign triggered public outrage as surprised residents questioned why the city would get rid of the popular beachside hoops that have been a hit for decades.
The plan, approved more than a year ago as part of the redevelopment of Bahia Mar across the street, took many off-guard. Community activists said they knew pickleball courts were coming, but had no idea they would replace the basketball courts.
By Monday, the sign had been removed at the request of City Manager Rickelle Williams. In a memo to the city commission obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, she stated that the sign was removed because additional planning was needed to convert the courts to pickleball.
But the news had already spread like wildfire.
Critics unleashed their wrath on social media, wondering what was behind the plan to replace the popular basketball courts, a longtime fixture at the end of the exclusive pedestrian skywalk that connects Bahia Mar to the public beach.