In January 2024, island resident Nancy Leckerling asked Lee County commissioners to keep both public tennis courts at Wheeler Road. At the time, the county planned to turn one of them into several pickleball courts. The Boca Beacon reported that her comment led to several meetings that spring, with people on both sides of the question of free public courts on the island.
Almost three years later, nobody had to give anything up. The Wheeler Road Community Park at 305 Wheeler Road now has two new tennis courts, three new pickleball courts, the Boca Grande Dog Park and, from Friday, Nov. 20, the farmers market again. Getting there took longer than the court fight did. The market spent two full seasons at The Bayou. Lee County holds the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, one week before the market returns.
The compromise that sent pickleball somewhere else
The first plan set the two sports against each other. The January 2024 proposal would have kept one public tennis court and turned the other into four pickleball courts. At the spring meetings, someone raised a Lee County policy that requires the county to maintain the two existing public tennis courts. That policy settled the tennis side of the question. Commissioner Kevin Ruane, working with residents, agreed to keep both tennis courts on Wheeler Road "while finding a different location for pickleball," according to the Beacon's August 2024 account.
The concept plan that Lee County Parks & Recreation director Mack A. Young sent around on July 31, 2024, kept it on the property. That plan called for three pickleball courts, a restroom next to them, two shade structures and ADA sidewalks inside the fenced dog park areas. The county opened it to public comment through Aug. 16. In October 2025, the Beacon ran an aerial photo with the answer. The old tennis courts had been removed on the left side of the parking area, and "the traffic circle will be the site of pickleball." The new location turned out to be a different corner of the same park.
What $1.7 million built at Wheeler Road
The contract went to Lee County commissioners on June 3, 2025, as a consent agenda item. It was a $1,708,472.83 amendment with Stultz, Inc. The agenda item said the existing tennis courts "were constructed in 2006," though the county's park history dates them to 2007, and that they "are nearing the end of their functional lifespan." The money came from Community Park Impact Fees, which the county sets aside for capital improvements at community parks. AIM Engineering & Surveying, Inc. handled design, engineering and construction administration.
Construction started Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, with a spring 2026 finish expected "weather permitting." The courts opened Monday, June 22, 2026, and are open daily from dawn to dusk. In its Oct. 23 announcement, the county lists everything the project delivered:
- Two new tennis courts replacing the two worn ones
- Three new pickleball courts
- New parking spaces, sidewalks, fencing and lighting
- New shade structures
- An additional restroom facility
- Repainted shade structures inside the fenced Boca Grande Dog Park
In August, Lee County Public Safety also installed an emergency response cabinet at the park with an Avive AED and a Stop the Bleed kit. The county's park page lists free parking, an off-leash dog area and on-leash dog walking, and links to the park rules.
Why the market left before construction began
Construction is only part of why the market was gone. The bigger delay started a year earlier and had nothing to do with the courts.
In December 2024, the Boca Beacon reported that the market needed a temporary site "until Wheeler Road is cleaned up from hurricane debris." Jean Baer, owner of Local Roots, which runs the market, said the Wheeler location would not be available "until mid-February at the earliest." She also described what the market usually looked like on that field:
"We'd really like to have them all back, but we would definitely have all the staples: produce, bread, flowers."
She was talking about a market of around 35 to 40 vendors. The field had been used this way before. According to the county's history of the park, it was used as a dumping site for Hurricane Charley debris in August 2004.
The fix in January 2025 was The Bayou near the Pink Elephant. The Beacon covered the first market there, with the community turning out "in large numbers" on "a beautiful morning by the water," Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through March. The mid-February estimate never held. The court construction began the next September, and the market stayed at The Bayou for the 2025-26 season as well. Altogether it spent two seasons there. Friday, Nov. 20 will be the first market on the Wheeler Road field since the 2023-24 season.
The November and December calendar at and around the park
The ribbon cutting covers more than the courts. Lee County is also marking work done with the Friends of Boca Grande Community Center and paid for by community donations. That includes Helene and Milton repairs at Crowninshield House, which is now home to the Historical Society, plus hurricane repairs and renovations at the Community Center. Here are the dates that fall at or near Wheeler Road this fall:
| Date | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 13, 11 a.m. | Lee County ribbon cutting with remarks by county commissioners; free parking, livestream on the county's YouTube and Facebook channels | Wheeler Road Community Park, 305 Wheeler Road |
| Thursday, Nov. 19, 10 a.m. | Friends of Boca Grande "Leave Your Mark" Beam Signing Ceremony for the new theater | Friends Pavilion, Boca Grande Community Center, 131 First St. |
| Friday, Nov. 20, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Boca Grande Farmers Market opens its 2026-27 season | Wheeler Park field, across from the Boca Grande Ball Field |
| Friday, Dec. 25 | Market closed for Christmas | |
| Monday, Dec. 28 | Make-up market | 305 Wheeler Road |
Parking at the park is free. If you plan to visit other spots on the island the same day, the county points you to its Boca Grande parking information.
What returns to the field on Fridays
Local Roots lists the 2026-27 season as Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 20 through April, with parking on site. That runs a month past the first Bayou season, which the Beacon listed as running through March. The market's own listing promises produce, seafood, cheese, pickles, orchids, cut flowers, native plants, prepared foods, soaps, candles, smoothies and meats.
The vendor directory reads like a Friday shopping list. It includes Dusty's Produce, Jimmy's Java, Twila Mae's Chicken Salad, Ma Belle Provence, Dynasty Guacamole, Dynasty Paella, Mr. Fun Guy, Herb B Que, Lofra Asian Cuisine, Mediterranean Delight, Angelic Desserts and Madagascar Hats. The directory lists the market's vendors; it does not say which of them will be there on opening day.
The Johann Fust Community Library now has a Book Bike, paid for by a donation from the Triad Foundation through the Johann Fust Library Foundation. The county says it will carry books, library card sign-ups, simple crafts and mobile tech to the bike path, community events and the farmers market.
On Friday, Nov. 20, the courts open at dawn, and the market sets up at 9 a.m. on the field across from the Boca Grande Ball Field, with free parking on site.
If you're thinking about how places like Wheeler Road fit into a week on the island, whether you already own here or are considering a second home near Gasparilla Golf Club, The Moore Team is glad to talk it through. Book a Private Consultation, and we'll share what we know about the island beyond what the listings show.
