LTC 332-2024 PILOT PROGRAM AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD TENNIS COURTSMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LTC#
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
LETTER TO COMMISSION
Honorable Mayor Steven Meiner and Members of the City Commission
Eric T.Carpenter,City Manager~~
July 31,2024
PILOT PROGRAM AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD TENNIS COURTS
The purpose of this Letter to Commission (LTC)is to provide information on the City of Miami Beach
Parks and Recreation Department's intended pilot program at the city's neighborhood tennis courts.
History
The Parks and Recreation Department (the "Department")has been addressing an influx of
unregulated tennis lessons taking place at the city's neighborhood tennis courts located at Palm
Island,Normandy Shores,Fairway,and Polo Parks.The neighborhood tennis courts were designed
for open free play on a first-come,first-served basis.Currently,unregulated private instruction is not
allowed.Many attempts at enforcement and tamping down on unauthorized lessons has yielded little
success as often times Park Rangers and Code Compliance do not see an exchange of money
legitimizing the lesson.When confronted,Rangers and Code are told that it is not a lesson,but rather
family members playing amongst each other,they are just hitting partners,etc.Additionally,as part
of the popularity of tennis that has taken place past COVID,the Department has also heard from
residents that live in walking distance to these courts and want the ability to take a private lesson at
their neighborhood tennis court.The Department appreciates the value in both open tennis play and
tennis instruction.
Analysis
After reviewing the issue thoroughly,meeting the demand for both resident user groups that want
open play and those that want to take private lessons,now requires an approach to allow for a
system to book the tennis courts in an appropriate manner.
The Department is ready to move forward with a pilot program at the Normandy Shores,Fairway,
and Palm Island tennis courts effective September 3,2024.The Department will be working with
Van Daalen Tennis (Miami Beach Tennis Academy),operators of the tennis facility at North Shore
Park,and Canas Tennis Academy,operators of the tennis facility at Flamingo Park,to implement an
online booking system for open play,classes,and private instruction with tennis professional that
are vetted,licensed,insured,and backgrounded.The program details are highlighted below in
addition to providing a timeline on deliverables for implementation.Upon successful implementation,
the program would be expanded to also include the courts at Polo Park.
Neighborhood Tennis Court Reservation Pilot Program
•Miami Beach Residents will now have the option to book a court at the Normandy Shores,
Fairway,and Palm Island tennis courts for the following:
a) Private lessons with a vetted and authorized tennis instructor
o Instructors will be vetted through the Miami Beach Tennis Center (MBTC)and
the Flamingo Park Tennis Center (FPTC)and will need to provide a Business
332-2024
Tax Receipt (BTR),certification through the Professional Tennis Registry
(PTR),and go through background screening
o Only 1 court will be utilized for lessons
b)Open recreation play
o 2 courts available for open recreation play
o No private lessons allowed
•Residents will also have an option of coming to the site without a court booking on a first
come,first served basis to play.
o Provided there are no court bookings
o No private lessons allowed
•Launch Date:Tuesday,September 3,2024
•Peak Times Identified:7:00 a.m.-11 :00 a.m.and 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.(Monday-Sunday)
•Fees:
a)Private lessons $100
b)Court Bookings $3.00 (residents)and $17.00 (non-resident)per person per hour for
a court booking (doubles can book for 2 hours)
•Booking system to be used:Court Reserve (currently being used at the MBTC)and Play by
Point (currently being used at the FPTC)
•Staffing:Courts will be managed by the MBTC and FPTC under the direction of the Parks
and Recreation Department.MBTC and FPTC staff will be onsite for implementation and
enforcement with the assistance of Park Rangers
•Hours and numberof courts to be used for programming to be re-evaluated based on demand
Timeline for Deliverables:
•Week of August 15,2024:
o Department to send program informational letter to the resident area HOAs
o Department and MBTC/FPTC to work with Marketing and Communications on
marketing materials to recruit tennis pros
o Department and MBTC/FPTC to work with Marketing and Communications on
marketing materials on how to book a court
•Week of August 22,2024:
o Department to launch webpage with all pertinent information on
www.miamibeachparks.com
o Advertise with robust marketing,answer questions,and feedback
o Backgrounds for tennis pros
•Tuesday,September 3,2024:
o Implementation
**Timelines may be subject to change
Should you have additional questions,please contact Cindy Casanova,Assistant Director,Parks
and Recreation at (305)673-7730.
Attachments
EC~JR/CC
MIAMI BEACH
Parks and Recreation Department
1701 Meridian Avenue Suite 401,Miami Beach,Florida 33139
July XXX,2024
Dear Neighbor,
As you may be aware,the frequent usage of the Normandy Shore and Fairway Park tennis courts by
unauthorized tennis professionals has become a problem.These courts are designed to be used by
residents who want free play;however,during peak hours it has become difficult to use the courts
because these persons conducting lessons do not leave after the 1hour allotted time.
In addition,according to city regulations,professionals conducting ~ness on city property must be
appropriately licensed,insured,and pass background and drugtesting.The individuals currently
providing tennis lessons meet none of these criteria.We also understand that local residents want to
take lessons on these courts;however,the current structure of first-come,first-served is unable to
accommodate everyone's needs.
In an effortto alleviate resident frustration,the Parks &Recreation Department willbe implementing a
pilot program at the Palm Island courts,effective August 5,2024.Under the new organizational
structure,Van Daalen Tennis (Miami BeachTennis Academy),the contractor of the tennis courts at
North Shore Park,will be implementing an 0111ine booking syste§:or both open play,classes,and
private lessons.
Utilizing the Court Reserve app,residents will be able to reserve courts 1 lay in advance at $3.00 per
person per hour via the system,as we'll as book classes apd priva~essons that will be offered by MBTA
tennis professionals.Non-residents will be charged afee of $17 perperson per hour to reserve the
courts.Those not wishing to pay a fee can view the court sheet and use the courts when they are not
reserved;however,at no time will unauthorized instruction be permitted to take place.Under our
agreement with MBTA,individuals observed to be conducting instruction,regardless of the number of
balls beingused,will be askedto leave.MBTA will have administrative staff on-site and the support of
park rangers to ensure compliance.
We will be doing outreach to tennis professionals that may be interested in working with the MBTA
team;so if you have someone you would like to recommend,please have them email
info@mbtennisacademy.com
Enclosed please find directions for utilizing the Court Reserve system.
If you have any questions,please contact the Miami Beach Tennis Center at 305-604-4080 or at
info@mbtennisacademy.com or contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 305-673-7730 or at
recreation@miamibeachfl.gov.
(Attachments)
EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1,2024
NDORMANDY GFAIRWAYPARKTENNISCOURTS
WILL BE MANAGED BY
MIAMI BEACH TENNIS ACADEMY
NOW ACCEPTING
COACH APPLICATIONS
INTERESTED?EMAIL INFO@MBTENNISACADEMY.COM
MIAMI BEACH
PARKS &RECREATION
MIAMI BEACH
PARKS &RECREATION
NORMANDY/FAIRWAY TENNIS BOOKING RULES
•Reservations can be made online 1 day prior (starting at
7:30AM)
•Validated residents pay $3 per person/per hour (ONLY IF
YOU WANT A RESERVATION)
•Non-residents and guests pay $17 per person/per hour
•Unbooked times can be used without charge;however,if
you are on the court and a reservation arrives,you must
vacate the court.
•Only 1 reservation per day per player
•Players on court via back to back online bookings
with same or different players may be asked to
leave regardless of payment
•Instruction by (or hitting with)unauthorized pros,
regardless of the number of balls being used,is
strictly prohibited
•After a 10 minute grace period court reservation is
forfeited,regardless of payment
COURT RESERVE BOOK A COURT BOOK A LESSON
HOW TO JOIN COURT RESERVE
•DOWNLOAD the Court Reserve App {QR CODE
BELOW)
•Select 'Miami Beach Tennis Center'as organization
•Select Non Resident membership {even if you are a
resident)
•If you are a Miami Beach resident please text a copy
of your ID and 1 additional document such as a
lease,utility bill to 305-604-4080
•You must cancel bookings via text by 5PM the
evening prior or full charges apply
•Credits are returned to Court Reserve account
•5%surcharge to return fees to credit card
uRTRESERVE
HOW TO BOOK A COURT
•Select 'BOOK A COURT',
'NORMANDY/FAIRWAY'and select an available
time slot to add additional players
•Singles can be booked for 1 hour (2 players),
doubles can be booked for 2 hours (4 players)
Player(s)
YOUR NAME WILLAPPEAR HERE
#ofGuest(s)
Click to Select #of Guest(s)
CLICK ARROW TO ADD RESIDENT IN THE CR SYSTEM
CLICK ARROW TO ADD OTHER PLAYERS>
•To add guest name,click on GUEST #1
•You must add appropriate number of players (2 for
singles or 4 for doubles)or reservation will not save
•You must pay for the court within 15 minutes or the
reservation will not save
•You must cancel bookings via text to by 5PM to
305-604-4080 the evening prior or full charges
apply
•Credits are returned to Court Reserve account and
can be used at any MBTA facility
•5%surcharge to return fees to credit card
HOW TO BOOK A PRIVATE LESSON
•Select 'TENNIS PRIVATE LESSONS',
'NORMANDY/FAIRWAY'and select an available
time slot
•There is no extra charge for up to 2 players -no
need to add additional names on reservation
•You must cancel bookings via text to by 5PM to
305-604-4080 the evening prior or full charges
apply
•Lessons provided by unauthorized instructors are
prohibited,regardless of the number of balls being
used
•Credits are returned to Court Reserve account and
can be used at any MBTA location
•5%surcharge to return fees to credit card
Lessons provided by unauthorized
instructors are prohibited,regardless of
the number of balls being used.
Enforcement support will be provided by
the City of Miami Beach.
CE-sos
Letter to Palm Island Tennis Patrons
To whom it may concern,
In a constant effort to improve and maximize the usage of the Palm Island Park tennis courts for
residents,the Parks &Recreation Department will be implementing a pilot program starting on August
5th.This program will be managed by Canas Racket,who is the current contractor for the Flamingo
Tennis Center.
The purpose of this program is to ensure that the Palm Island Park tennis courts are utilized by
residents looking to enjoy the sport of tennis.Currently,these courts are being occupied most of their
times by unofficial instructors,who overextend their playing time preventing others from enjoying
these courts.
Moreover,unofficial instructors fail to comply with the Parks &Recreation Department requirements:
Any tennis professional looking to do business in these courts needs to be hired by the management
in charge of the courts,needs to be licensed and needs to pass the appropriate Background and
Drug tests.
As part of the pilot program and looking to solve all residents'needs,Canas Racket will be
introducing a new reservation system into Palm Island Park Tennis (the Canas Racket App powered
by Playbypoint)that will allow maximum reservation efficiency.Canas Racket will also allow residents
to book private lessons as well as other programs designed for the tennis community and will have
one court designated for these services.
The following booking rates and booking rules will be enforced at the Palm Island Park tennis courts:
•$3/hr per player for Residents of Miami Beach
•$17/hr per player for Non-Residents of Miami Beach
•Maximum Reservations per day:1
www.canastennis.com [@canastennis Canas Tennis is sponsored by.LACOSTE T7 Tecnifibre
CEno.cc
•Maximum Length per reservation:2 Hours
•Reservations will be allowed with 1 day in advance (Available at 7am)
•Players without a reservation will be able to play for free if a court is not reserved 15min before
their stipulated playing time.
•Unauthorized pros are not allowed to play -A special ruling will determine when someone is
identified as a pro,which will be available in the park and in the court reservation policies
(Please see attached)
•After a 10-minute grace period,a court reservation is forfeited regardless of payment.
•Private lessons can be booked only via email to proshop@flamingotenniscenter.com or
message at 786-365-7249
•Programming will be available in our app.
For any inquiries about the reservation system or any other matter,please contact us via email to
proshop@flamingotenniscenter.com or via call ar 786-365-7249.
www.canastennis.com [@canastennis Canas Tennis is sponsored by LACOSTE Tr-Tecnifibre
HOWTO
Boo,'·K··A•..•I!!".'.•.
canasracket COURT
BOOK A COURT
FROM YOUR PHONE!
pornMoord Park Terraer
@womborsips Go to Book Now!
Search Canas Racket in the App Store
or Google Play and
download the app.
cE
canasracket
Steps to Access Playbypoint:
1.Log in or create an account in Canas
Racket.
2.Add Palm Island Park Tennis as your
facility.
3.Start booking courts!
£9,
Select a date,
ti me &court.
Add other players.
View details &
complete booking.
HOW TO
REQUEST A
PRIALTE
LE@SON
CE
canasracket
BOOKING RULES &POLICIES
•1O-MINUTE GRACE PERIOD;RESERVATION FORFEITED
AFTER THIS TIME
•PRIVATE LESSONS:MUST BE BOOKED VIA EMAIL OR TEXT
•PROGRAMMING AVAILABLE IN OUR APP
•FOR ANY INQUIRIES ABOUT RESERVATIONS OR LESSONS,
CONTACT:
EMAIL:PROSHOP@FLAMINGOTENNISCENTER.COM
PHONE:786-365-7249
E
anasracket
BOOKING RULES &POLICIES
•RESIDENTS:$3/HR PER PLAYER
•NON-RESIDENTS:$17/HR PER PLAYER
•MAX RESERVATIONS PER DAY:1
•MAX LENGTH/RESERVATION:2 HOURS
•RESERVATIONS OPEN:1 DAY IN ADVANCE AT 7 AM
•WALK-INS:FREE IF A COURT IS NOT RESERVED 15 MIN
BEFORE PLAYTIME
•UNAUTHORIZED PROS NOT ALLOWED (SEE PARK AND COURT
RESERVATION POLICIES)
ct
anasracket