APOLLO BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Residents of the Andalucia neighborhood in Apollo Beach are upset about the Homeowners’ Association’s recent decision to replace the community’s clay tennis courts with pickleball courts.
Neighbors contacted News Channel 8 with concerns over noise, health, and potential losses in property values.
“The constant bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong you might hear about 4500 times an hour… I’m staying calm and respectful, but I’m very upset about this. It’s an injustice. It’s unfair and not right,” expressed Robert Davi, a Hollywood actor residing in the community.
“This initiative to turn tennis courts into pickleball courts is essentially creating conflicts among neighbors. My main concern is the noise associated with the game and the hours they’re permitted to play, from early morning until late at night,” stated Michael Wasielewski, a Vietnam veteran (with PTSD) living right next to the courts.
In response to the renovations, the President of the Homeowner’s Association issued the following statement to News Channel 8:
The Andalucia Master Association Board respects all residents’ opinions. In fact, in relation to the current racquet court conversion, the board has facilitated a series of Townhalls, resident surveys, and Board meetings sessions over an eighteen month period to enable input from all perspectives. With the community’s input and overwhelming support, bar a few members, the Board made a decision that is in the community’s best interest from a fiduciary perspective to convert clay courts that are extremely costly to maintain and only utilized by roughly five percent of the community. The conversion of one of the existing tennis courts to two pickleball court allows both existing and prospective homeowners access to the fastest growing and most highly-sought after racquet sport. The other court will be dedicated solely to the few remaining tennis players in our community
It’s unclear at this point when the courts will be built or when construction will begin.
