PALMETTO — Local and state leaders broke ground on Patriot Park on the Fourth of July, which will have pickleball, tennis and basketball courts, a playground, a covered pavilion, a walking trail and a multi-use field.
“It’s an awesome day to be an American,” said Mayor Dan West, who recalls playing soccer there as a youth.
Florida Senate President-Designate Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, also said he recalled soccer matches at the field growing up in Palmetto. Florida Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, was also on hand to help break ground, digging the first shovels of dirt on the project with more than a dozen other community leaders.
The 3-acre park on the corner of 14th Avenue West and 10th Street West will serve as a place of reflection, celebration and unity, and will serve as a tribute to America’s 250th anniversary, West said, calling it a “labor of love.”
Stellar Development Inc. is contracted to build the $5 million park, designed by Fawley Bryant Architecture. It is expected to be completed by summer 2027.
Cindy Lane is a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Beacons. She can be reached at clane@tbnweekly.com.