Leesburg City Commissioners said it wasn’t the shuffleboard club versus Forward Paths, but the tension in the room certainly felt like it, as community members from both sides made their plea Monday night over the fate of the property at 309 S. Palmetto St.

The commission voted 4-1 to approve donating the land, currently home to shuffleboard courts, to Forward Paths Foundation, Inc., for the construction of ten tiny homes to serve homeless and at-risk youth.

Forward Paths President Jacob Bonynge outlined the nonprofit’s plan.

“Our proposal is to build ten tiny homes there, each two-bedroom, one-bathroom homes,” he says. “This will house a total of 20 youth that we serve. With our nonprofit, we serve youth who have aged out of foster care or who are at risk of homelessness.”

Jacob added that the project would be self-funded, saying, “We are not asking for anything from the city’s budget to be applied to this building project. We will fund the project on our own entirely.”

Forward Path’s tiny home village in Eustis

But shuffleboard supporters made their case just as strongly.

“We had 892 signatures, and I got another 15 more coming in tonight,” says Shuffleboard Club President Gail Howell. “These signatures reflect support for the following requests: halt any plans to demolish the shuffleboard courts, preserve the 24 courts and clubhouse at the Palmetto Street Sports Complex, and invest in maintenance and upgrades.”

Gail pressed the commissioners on transparency, saying, “First, I’d like to know why everything has been so secretive. We don’t think that’s fair. Why are you trying to make us the bad guys? It seems like every time we come up here, we’re the bad people. We are not letting the youth in, etc. We just don’t want them on our courts.”

This graphic was posted to the shuffleboard club’s online petition.

Other community members echoed Gail’s concerns. Resident Robert Bolick argued the city had not properly evaluated the land’s recreational value.

“This item should be tabled until proper evaluation can be performed,” he says. “The City Commission should not proceed with giving this land to Forward Paths or any other organization until such evaluation is completed and brought back to the community for decision.”

Commissioners were also split in their perspectives. Commissioner Jimmy Burry acknowledged the clash of values.

“The Leesburg shuffleboard court brings up good points,” Commissioner Burry  says. “It’s about a sport to them. It’s about camaraderie. It’s about socializing. It’s about exercise. It’s a game that they cherish. Forward Paths is about stability. It’s about safety. And it’s about an opportunity to build.”

Commissioner Jay Connell disagreed with using recreational land for housing.

“Shuffleboard courts have been there for 50 years,” he says. “This is Forward Paths coming in and deciding they want our shuffleboard courts. I’ve never heard of an organization that is bold enough just to come in and say, we want a portion of your recreational property, give it to us. I’m open to donating other properties to them, but not our recreational property.”

Forward Paths leaders stressed the urgency of the housing crisis. Clinical Director Dr. Maggie Denk said, “While I can certainly appreciate the need for recreation and the ongoing need for space for shuffleboard, we are talking about a crisis of young people who are unhoused, who are in desperate need of a place to go. That should be the primary consideration.”

In the end, the commission voted 4-1 to approve the transfer, with Commissioner Connell the lone no vote.

After the meeting, Forward Paths expressed gratitude on social media.

“Thank you to all of our supporters that came out last night for the City of Leesburg Commission meeting. It was truly overwhelming and we appreciate your support. It was uplifting to see so many take the time out to be with us during that momentous event especially since it ran late into the evening. To the Commissioners, we say thank you! That was a tough decision and we are thankful for your confidence. To the Leesburg Shuffleboard Club, we are in awe of your tenacity. You are most definitely passionate people. We hope one day you can champion our cause because we could use supporters like you. Now, we aim to make the community proud to host our project and we look forward to making a difference in the lives of our most at risk youth!”