West Palm Beach faces backlash over planned tennis center takeover

West Palm Beach faces backlash over planned tennis center takeover

Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post

Tue, December 2, 2025 at 10:07 AM UTC

4 min read

The longtime manager of the popular South Olive Tennis Center in West Palm Beach is challenging the city’s decision to allow the United States Tennis Association Florida to take over the program following its win in a November bidding process.

Skip Jackson, and scores of community supporters, complain the city ignored facts that would have disqualified USTA Florida because it wants its courts managed by a national corporate brand, bringing a perceived prestige to the city similar to the PGA’s close affiliation with The Park golf course.

A Nov. 17 letter to USTA Florida from West Palm Beach procurement officer Donna Levengood says the group was the top ranked proposer for the city’s three tennis centers at Gaines Park, Howard Park and South Olive Park.

West Palm Beach Director of Communications Kathleen Joy said the request for bids to manage the centers was issued on Sept. 11 and that the decision process was “competitive and transparent.” Negotiations for the management contract with USTA Florida are underway.

“The city will continue to comply with all requirements of our procurement ordinances and remains committed to ensuring a smooth transition that maintains high-quality, inclusive tennis programming for residents of all ages and skill levels,” Joy said.

Jackson’s 10-page protest, filed Nov. 24 by his attorney Bernard Lebedeker, outlines three key objections, including that USTA Florida failed to disclose a 2022 sexual assault-based lawsuit where a jury found the national association failed to protect a young female player.

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The player, Kylie McKenzie, was awarded $9 million by the jury. She filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Orlando. The USTA national campus is in Lake Nona. USTA Florida did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

“My daughter plays in the juniors, and my husband plays in the triple tournaments,” said tennis player Stacy Kassatly, who lives in West Palm Beach's popular south of Southern Boulevard community and supports Jackson. “Now that this program is so great, some out of county, not local entity that has questionable issues going on comes in to take over?”

Skip Jackson has managed the South Olive Tennis Center in West Palm Beach for more than two decades. Jackson, photographed at Howard Park Tennis Center, is protesting the city's choice to have the United States Tennis Association Florida take over its three tennis centers.

Kassatly said despite the city's assertion that the process was transparent, she felt it was “cloak and dagger.”

“We have a local gem run by local people,” Kassatly said. “What is happening here is special and we want it to stay in our own community.”

Jackson has managed the South Olive Tennis Center for more than two decades. Players credit him for keeping the program going through times when the courts and headquarters were dilapidated to today when it has a new building and new courts nearing completion.

Jackson said he had no problem with competing for management of the courts but was surprised when USTA Florida won the bid in what he says is a flawed scoring system.

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“We figured the facility could not be run better than it is right now. We could not believe it,” Jackson said. “I built this up and then someone steps in to take it over. The entire community is not behind this.”

About 450 people signed a Change.org petition to keep Jackson, saying that replacing him would mean “losing not only a coach but a mentor and a friend to countless players and families.”

The Howard Park Tennis Center is managed by Mark Jones, who said he is disappointed with the city’s decision but is open to working with USTA Florida.

Players credit Skip Jackson for keeping the South Olive Park tennis program going through times when the courts and headquarters were dilapidated to today when it has a new building and new courts nearing completion.

“We have four highly competitive women’s teams, an active men’s group and junior programs and I would never voluntarily walk away from my players,” Jones said in a statement. “I just want to continue to serve the community like I have for the past 23 years.”

Nancy Kinnally, who plays at Howard Park, said she hopes the city reconsiders and allows Jones to continue managing the program because she believes it’s important to have a local person with history in the community oversee the program.

Like Kassatly, she said the local tennis community was “out of the loop” when the decision to contract with USTA Florida was being made.

“This is not anything anyone who plays tennis here asked for or wanted because there is a high level of satisfaction from the people at each location,” Kinnally said. “I don’t know if the decision was made by people who play tennis. They certainly didn’t come talk to the people who do.”

Gaines Park doesn’t currently have an operator, but the not-for-profit Gaines Park Tennis Association has been offering clinics and group lessons, according to the city.

According to the request for proposal for management of the centers, the city will establish all fees related to play and at least two courts must be open for free public use at all times.

Jackson said he believes the original timeline would have had USTA Florida takeover the courts in January. He’s not sure where that stands now.

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach tennis players say city ignored community in USTA deal

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