City of Fort Myers plans to enter into negotiations with a developer that will redevelop City of Palms Park and adjacent areas into a mixed-use project to be anchored by the home field of a professional soccer team.
Fort Myers City Council ranked PitchPrime LLC as the top firm out of a total of four bids in response to the city’s request for proposals for the opportunity to lease or purchase and develop a mixed-use project on the site of the former spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, Skatium and other adjoining city-owned properties.
PitchPrime LLC is a joint venture between investment firm Shearson Sports Fund, which is focused on professional sports franchises, and Scythe LLC. The proposed $15 million project includes an anchor investment in an MLS Next Pro team. PitchPrime Managing Partner Steve Demetriou said this is a year-round opportunity as opposed to the historical seasonal usage of City of Palms Park.
Originally constructed in 1993, City of Palms Park hosted Red Sox spring training games until 2011 when the team moved to JetBlue Park in south Fort Myers. The stadium then hosted Florida SouthWestern State College baseball and softball games from 2014 until 2022.
“The opportunity to bring a MLS Next Pro team to Fort Myers, we believe, is not only transformational for us as a family but transformational for Fort Myers,” Demetriou said, describing the project as a legacy opportunity for the city.
MLS Next Pro is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada that was launched in 2022 by Major League Soccer.
MLS Next Pro President Charles Altchek said MLS Next Pro expects to have 29 teams competing across the country in its third season.
“We have over 750 players from 81 countries represented in our league already,” he said. “That speaks to the international nature of the sport and the incredible opportunity that creates for your community.”
Florida currently has three MLS teams—Inter Miami CF led by Lionel Messi, the Orlando City B and brand new Jacksonville Armada FC.
“Then Fort Myers team would join that trio and be part of a very exciting dynamic here in Florida where you’d have fans traveling from Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville to the games here in Fort Myers,” Altchek said. “Your fans would be traveling to those games, creating great competitive dynamics, both on and off the field.”
Altchek said what’s special about soccer is that many of the players that end up playing for the city’s professional team typically come from the community.
“They’re starting at a young age and then are developed through the academy that will be part of this project, that will be part of this team and then end up playing as a professional,” he said.
One of the partners in the proposal is Florida Sports Virtual Academy, which is expected to advance the development of local student-athletes grades 5-12. The academy will establish offices in the stadium and Skatium, expanding their athletic offerings to include ice hockey, football, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and track.
Additionally, D1 Training Fort Myers will utilize the facilities to train athletes, led by NFL players and Lee County natives Jaylen Watkins, Sammy Watkins and Tre Boston.
While soccer is the star of the show, the proposal also includes a variety of other uses on-site, including community fields, converting the old batting cage facility into a food court and expanded parking. There are also 10 pickleball courts and six padel ball courts proposed, along with a hotel, concert venue and a food truck park.
Expansion of the beach sports complex also is proposed, which will double in size for volleyball, as well as the expansion of the Skatium, adding a second sheet of ice to allow for 40 team tournaments.
Since PitchPrime was ranked first, it will enter into negotiations with the city, which will eventually return to Council for a decision. The second in line if negotiations fall through will be United Soccer League, and in third and fourth place, Elliot Sidewalk Communities and Radd Sports LLC.
