After more than a year of changing costs, contracts and timelines, the Lake June Park pickleball project comes back before the Lake Placid Town Council Thursday with an actual construction bid on the table.
The sole bid was reviewed independently by three reviewers using the requirements established in the Town’s Invitation to Bid.
Legacy Sports Construction submitted $643,335, $33,335 above the $610,000 maximum set by Council. The bid also proposed a one-year warranty rather than the required two years. All three reviewers determined the bid was nonresponsive. The Town Attorney found that the price and warranty deviations are material and cannot be waived under Florida procurement law.
That leaves Council with another decision — and not a lot of time to make it.
The project is funded with a $200,000 FRDAP (Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program) grant, approximately $299,000 in RPAC (Highlands County Recreation and Parks Advisory Commitee) funding and $200,000 in Town funds. The construction requirements call for substantial completion within 120 days or by Jan. 31, 2027, whichever comes first. As of July 31, the Town had spent or committed $95,418 of its own funds for engineering, surveying, legal review and staff time. No grant funds have been drawn. If the project does not proceed, the agenda packet states the remaining $104,582 in Town funds would return to the General Fund.
Getting to competitive bidding took nearly a year. In July 2025, the former town administrator told Council the project would not go out to bid and instead proposed using existing and piggyback contracts. Council authorized pursuing that approach in August. By October, costs and the need to front reimbursable grant money were raising new questions. Administration returned in November with revised numbers and a financing plan, but the contracting itself remained unresolved. By January, Council was told the proposed arrangement involved two contractors rather than one general contractor and did not include lighting. In February, a City of Sebring contract being considered for the lighting could not be used for the project.
The issue remained unresolved into the spring. In April, administration said it was working to develop a “path forward.” In May, following further legal review, Council was told the project would have to go through formal competitive procurement. Council voted to move forward with bidding. In June, Council directed staff and legal counsel to prepare the bid package for one general contractor. The Invitation to Bid was approved in July with the $610,000 maximum, bringing the project to the bid opening Aug. 11.
Now the Town knows what at least one contractor says it will cost to build it.
Organized advocacy is also underway ahead of Thursday’s decision. A social media post circulating among pickleball supporters calls for people to contact council members and attend the meeting in support of moving the project forward.
Council has several options outlined in the agenda packet, including rejecting the current bid, readvertising the project with a revised budget, or closing out the project.
The special Town Council meeting begins Thursday at 5:30 p.m. It will be live streamed on the Town’s Youtube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@lakeplacidflgov7268
