Who's Paying for Islamorada's Park Upgrades, and When Each One Opens

The pool at Founders Park closed last February, reopened on June 18 and came in on budget, according to the mayor. A few miles south on Lower Matecumbe Key, the old tennis center property has a plan, a rendering and a price estimate. The man leading that project describes its timeline as "100% fund driven."

The pool had a tourist-tax grant behind it, and the courts are waiting on donations. Between them sit a ballfield that needed a 20-year agreement with the school district and a beach playground that has funding but no schedule. Some money comes from tourist taxes. Some comes from a deal with the school district. Some has to be raised from donors. If you know who is paying for a project, you can make a fair guess about when you'll be able to use it.

The pool: tourist-tax money, finished on schedule

The Ron Levy Aquatics Center at Founders Park was built in 2001, and its condition had been slipping. Keys Weekly reported that the village closed the Olympic-size pool last February so contractors could put in a new interior surface. The work also upgraded the mechanical systems, lighting, railings, scoreboard and locker rooms. It added an enclosed lifeguard first aid office and break room.

The total cost was just over $3 million. The Monroe County Tourist Development Council put in a $436,000 grant, and Mayor Don Horton told the reopening crowd the job was done on time and on budget. The pool measures 50 meters by 25 yards, runs from 4 to 12.6 feet deep and has a diving well with four springboards. It still hosts the synchronized swimming program, the Coral Shores High School swim teams and lessons for kids and adults. The Synchro Sirens closed out the June celebration with a performance in the water.

The grant came with a set amount and a set purpose. With that in hand, the village could schedule the closure, finish the work and reopen when it said it would.

What residents pay, compared with everyone else

Visitor dollars covered part of the renovation, and the village's fee schedule gives residents the better rate. The Founders Park and Ron Levy Aquatic Center fee schedule took effect March 1, 2026. It lists park entry as free for Islamorada residents, with separate pricing for pool use.

An adult resident's annual pool pass costs a little under half of a nonresident's annual park and pool membership. Resident rates require proof of Islamorada residency or a guest pass. The pool fees apply to anyone on the aquatic facility and pool deck, even if they never get in the water.

The schedule has a few more details worth knowing. Nonresident memberships cover only the cardholder, and their guests pay nonresident entry. On Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day weekends, and on summer weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day, nonresident entry fees apply to everyone who enters. Active and reserve military, honorably discharged veterans and disabled veterans get into the park and pool free, along with up to four family members with valid ID. The park office number is (305) 853-1685.

The ballfield: two governments, one 20-year deal

The Founders Park baseball field took much longer than the pool. The village owns the field, but Coral Shores baseball has practiced and played there for decades under an agreement with the Monroe County School District. Upgrading the field meant renegotiating that arrangement. Keys Weekly described lengthy negotiations over who would control parts of the project and who would cover certain costs. The two sides settled after a rare joint meeting and signed a 20-year agreement in late July.

The village had also voted on the license earlier in the year. Its January 12 weekly update noted that the council unanimously approved a revised baseball field license agreement. More than six months passed between that vote and the final pact.

The case for the upgrade was the field itself. According to Keys Weekly, the Keys climate made it hard to keep natural grass in decent shape all year, and Coral Shores players had been injured in recent years because of the playing conditions. At a July 2025 meeting, Islamorada Parks & Recreation committee member Jon Weare said artificial turf raises concerns for sports like soccer and lacrosse but is a safe surface for baseball.

Village officials, school board members, coaches and neighbors held a ceremonial groundbreaking in the rain on October 1. Keystar is leading the $3.8 million project. It covers artificial turf, new fencing, dugouts and batting cages, and the work is expected to be ready for the upcoming baseball season.

The deal also shrank the project. The original plan cost $6 million and included a two-story building with a concession stand, bathrooms and a press box, plus bleachers. Both were set aside for future discussion. When the new turf opens, the bleachers will still be an open question.

The beach playground: funded, but no date yet

A Visit Florida Keys feature on tourism-funded projects says the village received almost $500,000 in fiscal year 2026 TDC capital grant money for a new inclusive playground in the Founders Park beach area. That's the same grant program that helped pay for the pool. No public start or finish date has come out so far.

There is already a playground like this in Islamorada. The same feature says the quiet space behind the library at Library Beach Park now has an inclusive playground. It also describes a new two-story event pavilion and kayak launch at Green Turtle Hammock. The village has kept working at the preserve. In January the council approved invasive plant management and the demolition of a derelict building there.

Lower Matecumbe's courts: waiting on donors

The project with the least certain timeline sits at 76800 Overseas Highway, the former Islamorada Tennis Center. This one is not a village project. Keys Weekly reported that the Islamorada Foundation closed on the property in January 2026 for $1.6 million.

The plan covers 2.2 usable acres of the 3.5-acre site. It calls for green space with shade structures, tennis, pickleball and bocce courts, a golf practice center, a half-court basketball court and parking. Construction is estimated at $1.8 million to $1.9 million. That figure includes tearing out the old buildings and courts and raising the ground elevation.

Foundation founder and board chair J.C. Mikula told Keys Weekly that the group saw "an opportunity to acquire another 3.5 acres and thwart potential commercial development." He added, "The timeframe is 100% fund driven." The pool had a grant and the ballfield had a public contract. These courts will open once donations cover a construction budget that is larger than what the foundation paid for the land.

Dates to know this fall

These events are already on the calendar:

• October 15, November 19 and December 17: The Morada Way Art Walk, according to the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce calendar. The listings don't give hours.
• Friday, December 4, 4 to 10 p.m.: The 22nd Annual Islamorada Chamber of Commerce Holiday Fest, themed "Deck the Glades," on the Great Lawn at Founders Park. The schedule includes a parade at 7:30 p.m. and a Holiday Bazaar.
• The coming baseball season: The new turf, dugouts and batting cages at the Founders Park field are expected to be ready, per Keys Weekly.

On Holiday Fest night, people on the Great Lawn will be a short walk from the renovated pool and the ballfield under construction. The playground is still waiting on a schedule, and the Lower Matecumbe courts are still waiting on donations.

I watch these projects the same way you do, as someone who uses these parks and keeps track of what each upgrade means for the place we live. If you want to talk about how Founders Park, the ballfield or the Lower Matecumbe project fits into life on Plantation Key and the Matecumbes, reach out to Kelly Randin. Let's Connect.