Fort Myers To Demolish City of Palms Stadium, Salvage Historical Elements for New Development

Fort Myers officials will proceed with the total demolition of City of Palms Stadium. City leaders reviewed the engineering assessment on Monday. The assessment revealed that retaining portions would cost too much, demand massive reconstruction, and shrink the footprint for whatever gets built after.

Council members chose a complete teardown. Mayor Kevin Anderson announced plans to rescue fragments of the structure so pieces of the stadium's past survive.

"I think we should move forward with the complete demolition, with the attempt to salvage whatever we can that's historical to be consolidated into the new project," Anderson said, per WINK News.

Fort Myers intends to rescue plaques, lettering, and brickwork scattered across the grounds. The city engineer mentioned that multiple artifacts could still be pulled from inside before wrecking crews arrive.

"The city manager has pointed out some lettering that he thought would be great. There is some stuff inside that could still be salvaged," the city engineer said.

Taxpayers continue funding maintenance and security at the abandoned ballpark. Local opinions have been split down the middle over the years.

"It's ridiculous — it's wasted space," one resident said.

Another resident pitched a different idea. "I wish they could repurpose it for something," the resident said.

A third resident backed demolition. "Tear it down," the resident said.

One resident blasted the continuing expenses, saying, "It's just wasting, and they're wasting taxpayer money."

The city will collect demolition bids and schedule a final vote. Anderson wants crews to finish before the year ends.