Planned Upgrades to Baseball Field 2023 to present (6/1/2025) 

In about 2023 the Monroe County School Board developed a plan to upgrade the baseball field and allocated $5 million for the project. And with their plan came concerns about Islamorada's role as property owner.  The terms of the original Interlocal Agreement and Use License, if legally approved, had expired. 

On May 7, 2024, the Village Council approved a new 20-year Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with an automatic 20-year renewal. A signed copy has not been located. 

While the ILA was approved by Village Council in May 2024, the staff report at that time noted that "a Baseball Field License Agreement that is needed to establish renovation parameters and associated operating plan for a renovated facility." has not been agreed upon.  The ILA gives authority to sign the license agreement to the Village Manager.

The School Board has hired a design build contractor and initial designing is underway without establishing renovation parameters through the License agreement.

There are several issues that have been questioned by taxpayers in Islamorada:

• Should Islamorada give up a significant portion of the Village park (at no cost to the school system) for a use restricted by the school board when they provide similar facilities at the other high schools in the county on school owned property.
• Without a current License Use Agreement, what portion of the time and what upgraded facilities will be available to the public?
• What elements are incorporated into the design so the impact can be determined prior to finalization of the plan: Impact on trees, stormwater, utility and maintenance costs?
• The surface to be used has created controversy.  Grass or artificial turf?  Will the Village, as owners, have a say?

The Village incorporated January 1, 1998.  A little more than a year later, February 24, 1999, they bought Plantation Yacht Harbor from National Resorts Inc. for $9,000,000.  The first council found a way to borrow the money, and not using grant funding.  They did not want restrictions as to uses placed on the property if they accepted grants.  And so Founders Park was born.  It soon became the centerpiece for the Village.

Sometime in 2001, as the Village was making improvements to the new Founders Park, they negotiated with the Monroe County School Board to provide space at the park for a high school baseball field.  No fully signed Interlocal Agreement and Baseball Use License Agreement has ever been found.  The only document located was signed (and notarized) by then Village Manager, Charles Baldwin, and was approved by Weiss Serota, Village Attorney. No school Board signature.

The partially signed 20-year use agreement provided for the Coral Shores High Schol baseball team to use the facility from Jan 15 through May 31 each year and pay for maintenance and utilities for that time frame.  The remainder of the year, the area would be available to the public and the Village would be responsible for prorata costs.

The document does include a breakdown of the costs for creating the ball park in 2001.  How times and costs have changed!: