Who will hold court? Debate on shuffleboard vs. Forward Paths dominates Leesburg meeting

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17-07-2025

LEESBURG — Strong words and emotions dominated the public comments portion of the Leesburg City Commission meeting on July 14 as the public use of a downtown Leesburg property occupied by shuffleboard and tennis courts was debated.
Leesburg Shuffleboard Club members and other citizens lined up in support of keeping the courts on Second and Palmetto streets.
Representatives of the Forward Paths Foundation, a nonprofit that helps youth transitioning out of foster care, recommended that the land be deeded to them, and to relocate the 22-lane courts because of the dire homelessness problem experienced by young adults newly on their own without a place to sleep or family support.
The Forward Paths vs. LSC spilled over from the public comment portion of the budget meeting on July 10, when Commissioner/former Mayor Jimmy Burry suggested shortly before adjourning that a quitclaim deed to transfer ownership of the shuffleboard courts land be given to Forward Paths.
Testimonies and accusations stir up emotions
Commenters at the July 14 Leesburg City Commission meeting shared stories about how the club has helped them after the death of a spouse and regain happiness.
They praised the sport's health benefits and pointed out the revenue the city gains from out-of-town visitors.
Questions around the actual use of the courts by Leesburg residents and whether they were "locked up" and kept off limits from the public were brought up by Mayor Alan Reisman and Burry. A facilities employee told the board that the courts were not locked, but given an appearance of being locked to keep out loiterers.
Burry's wife, Denise, and her son, Jacob Bonynge, lead the nonprofit organization as executive director and president and spoke at the July 14 meeting.
Bonynge took the podium and accused the Leesburg Shuffleboard Club members of inflating their membership numbers and crowdsourcing support from people not directly involved with the community.
"Not only are there multiple locations for tournaments throughout Lake County, but there are multiple locations that hold tournaments in the city of Leesburg," Bonynge pointed out.
Sharon Wild of the Hawthorne Shuffleboard Club clarified that several of the courts are private, and a player just can't just go recreate on any court.
"We have 27 or more tournaments a year in the Northern District," Wild explained. "We have to provide water. We have to clean the courts. ... We have to split those expenses. That's why we can't afford to lose the shuffleboard courts at Leesburg."
LSC Secretary Carol Helfer took the podium and reported the membership roster as having 73 members from 65, explaining that the visitors had already planned to become members. "The mayor asked about where we lived and how many lived in Leesburg," Helfer pointed out. "I live in The Villages, but I also belong to St. Paul's Catholic Church in Leesburg. I also a volunteer at the hospital here in Leesburg, and my husband parks his plane at the Leesburg airport. We are here in Leesburg all the time. I do more things in Leesburg than I do in The Villages. ... I don't think it matters where your bed is. I think it matters what you support."
'No conflict of interest,' says city attorney
A couple of LSC players accused the commission of backroom dealings on the matter.
Minner reiterated that he told Burry that the courts' property matter should go before a public hearing first, at the July 10 budget meeting. The topic will have its first reading at the Monday, Aug. 25, meeting of the Leesburg Commission.
The city manager defended the commission's transparency and condemned any suggestion that he and Burry tried to "skirt one by the public."
Ongoing tension between Minner and Connell added to the drama. Minner compared Burry's solicitations for Forward Paths with Commissioner Connell's recent push to pause annexations. Connell, visibly upset at the meeting, explained to the Daily Commercial that he was offended by the analogy, and he made sure the topic was added to meeting agendas.
At the July 10 budget meeting, Forward Paths' Burry initially explained that the organization had set up a functional "tiny home" community in Eustis and was recently nominated for a service award. Forward Paths, she said, has assisted young adults to become certified nursing assistants and serve in other professional capacities in the community.
But at the July 14 commission meeting, the executive director accused the Leesburg Shuffleboard Club contingent of "NIMBY," which stands for "Not in My Back Yard," and denounced allegations of a conflict of interest.
So did City Attorney Grant Watson, who clarified to all in attendance at the July 14 commission meeting that there is no conflict of interest in considering deeding out the property to Forward Paths because it's a nonprofit and no one on its staff will experience financial gain.
Another Forward Paths representative questioned why the club couldn't play elsewhere.
"I am sure, as the commission always does, other options and considerations will be discussed and then a final vote will be taken," Minner told the Daily Commercial after the meeting.
Former Leesburg Mayor Bill Polk warned the commission at the July 14 meeting not to give land to one nonprofit, that it would create a "flood" of property solicitations from the other hundreds of nonprofits in the area.
"Everybody and their brother's going to be here wanting a piece of property," Polk warned.
Shuffleboard has a deep history in Leesburg
Back in the early 20th century, the courts were located at Venetian Gardens, built as part of FDR's Works Progress Administration, which gave jobs to unemployed Leesburg men during the Great Depression.
"The first few shuffleboard courts were in front of the pool, which was given to the city in 1929 by the first Kiwanis Club," said an essay provided by the Leesburg Heritage Museum.
Meanwhile, the site at Second Street was a park of sorts where a few small rentals for tourists, who arrived in trailers and were dubbed the "Tin Can Tourists."
The courts on Second and Palmetto streets were built in 1971 because the courts at Venetian Gardens were on sandy ground and started to have problems. The city later assigned maintenance of the courts to the most recent incarnation of the Leesburg Shuffleboard Club in 1985 and provided the club with a clubhouse and storage area.
Why is Forward Paths set on that one parcel?
Denise Burry said at the meeting that she'd been looking for around 10 years, and the Second Street property was ideal for her clients who need access to work and socializing.
What about other options, such as empty downtown apartments? The Daily Commercial asked the city if empty apartments could be used by Forward Paths.
"Forward Paths' requirements are pretty specific, and they need around 2 acres," Minner told the Daily Commercial. "In the downtown area, it's going to be extremely difficult to string that together. So as far as the city goes, FP has been through our inventory."
The city of Leesburg Master Plan gives suggestions for resurfacing the shuffleboard courts and tennis courts. Minner mentioned a potential $1 million "Cadillac plan" of improvements at the July 10 budget meeting, including adding pickleball courts behind the Lakefront TV station.
According to the city's master plan, the project should also include a trail connection through the site to the Venetian Gardens Trail at the Woodward/Canal intersection.
Rick Tallman of the Leesburg Shuffleboard Club to the commission: "I'd like to remind all of you that you have a vision and a mission statement on your website to be a diverse community energetically working in collaboration to ensure that the city of Leesburg upholds its history, and you've heard about the history of shuffleboard here."
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Leesburg Commission hears Forward Paths vs. Leesburg Shuffleboard Club
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