LTC 017-2025 PILOT PROGRAM AT THE POLO PARK TENNIS COURTSDocusign Envelope ID: D42E1A5B-7F13-402D-AD3B-68D7 4E85DE8A
MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LTC# 017-2025 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Honorable Mayor Steven Meiner and Members of the City Commission
FROM: �l, () __ � Eric T. Carpenter, City Manager � l....A:::Vr�
DATE:
SUBJECT:
January 13, 2024
PILOT PROGRAM AT THE POLO PARK TENNIS COURTS
The purpose of this Letter to Commission (L TC) is to provide information on the City of Miami
Beach Parks and Recreation Department's intended expansion of the pilot program at the City's
neighborhood tennis courts to Polo Park.
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 Park, Normandy Shores Park, Fairway Park, and Polo Park. The neighborhood tennis courts
were designed for open free play on a first-come, first-served basis, and 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 players are
confronted, Park Rangers and Code Compliance are told that it is not a lesson, but rather family
members playing amongst each other, they are hitting partners, etc. Additionally, 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 implemented a pilot program at the tennis courts at Normandy Shores Park,
Fairway Park, and Palm Island Park on September 3, 2024. The Department worked with Van
Daalen Tennis (Miami Beach Tennis Academy) who are the operators of the tennis facility at North
Shore Park, and Canas Tennis Academy who are the 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 at the tennis courts located at Palm Island Park, Normandy Shores Park and Fairway
Park has been implemented successfully and has received praise from the community.
The frequency of unauthorized tennis instruction on the courts is at an all-time low and the
open play court booking has been embraced as a much needed and welcomed change.
Additionally, the Parks and Recreational Facilities Advisory Board passed the following motion at
the November 19, 2024 meeting:
''The Parks and Recreational Facilities Advisory Board motions to make the pilot
neighborhood tennis program permanent at the current locations, and to expand it to other
City neighborhood parks with tennis courts."