County honors Greenwell with new legacy
Civic Center renamed Mike Greenwell Regional Park; rural traditions to be nurtured
Renaming the Lee County Civic Center Complex to honor Commissioner Mike Greenwell is a fitting memorial, county officials agreed this week,
The historic complex will now be called Mike Greenwell Regional Park.
Commissioner David Mulicka moved to rename the Civic Center during this week’s meeting of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.
The proposal received unanimous support.
Mulicka said Greenwell loved the Lee Civic Center and it was a place he wanted to see get better.
Mulicka added he is pleased to see he county is requesting more money from the state to improve the aging facility and so accomplish Greenwell’s mission.
“I am proud to have known him and miss him very much,” he said of Greenwell who died Oct. 9 following a battle with thyroid cancer. He was 62.
Commissioner Brian Hamman said he could not think of anything that Greenwell left a larger mark on than the Lee Civic Center.
“He cared so much about making sure that was a facility where the 4H’ers and community could come together,” he said. “The Ag Expo has been amazing and that is due in part to the efforts he put into this. This is something we want to do to honor him.”
Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass said with all the hours Greenwell spent building pens and going to the Lee Civic Center with his kids and grandkids for the last 35 years it makes sense to honor him in this way.
“This is an honor to rename it after him, so the family can see it for the rest of their lives,” he said.
One of Greenwell’s sons, Garrett Greenwell, thanked the commissioners for the gesture.
“The Lee County Civic Center was a massive item for my dad. He really wanted it to be big and grand and something the community could be proud of,” he said. “We couldn’t be more honored to have it named after him. Obviously, anything you need from us we are happy to help.”
University of Florida IFAS extension Lee County 4H Agent Arielle Pierce said it meant a lot that the commissioners renamed the complex, as Greenwell was a very passionate and loud vocal supporter of 4H. She said in his position he recognized the youth and programs that meant a lot to the community, and expanded upon them.
“That is how we ended up at the Civic Center,” Pierce said, adding that Greenwell will be greatly missed, but she knows the Lee County commissioners will carry on his mission.
Pierce said it was a nice gesture to rename the complex as it reaffirms that Lee County government is truthful in its word – that they want it to be a community gathering place, a space that is functional in a different way than some of the traditional parks.
The renaming gives faith that it will be there for years to come as a dedicated safe space for the youth and community to grow, Pierce said.
After talking with others and attending his celebration of life service, it was evident that Greenwell wanted to make a better community for the youth by expanding opportunities and making sure they are not left behind, she said, adding that was accomplished through the offering programs – a home – and a safe place to grow.
“He definitely had a passion for 4H,” she said, for which she is incredibly grateful. “It was wonderful to work with him (and now) we will be working with him in spirit to carry on the same mission and idea for youth to grow and be workforce ready.”
Greenwell was a Lee County native who attended North Fort Myers High School where he was a baseball standout for the Red Knights.
He enjoyed a 12-year professional baseball career with the Boston Red Sox before returning home to raise his family and become a local business owner. He was appointed to the Board of County Commissioners by Gov. Ron DeSantis in July 2022 and reelected in 2024. He dedicated his life to 4-H and youth development in Lee County.
The Greenwell family has requested that in lieu of flowers, community members who want to honor him make donations to support Lee County 4-H. Find details of how to donate at www.leegov.com/bocc/celebration-of-life.
The landing page also offers community members a way to share memories and upload photos in a virtual guestbook, which will remain available until Oct. 31. Comments and images will be shared with Greenwell’s family.
The family, the Red Sox and Lee County hosted a Celebration of Life on Saturday, Oct. 18, at JetBlue Park. A video of the ceremony, which was livestreamed, is available at the county’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@LeeCountyFLBOCC/videos .
Greenwell spent years at the Lee County Civic Center Complex as a boy and a father, and he made the Civic Center a central point during his service as a county commissioner. Lee County Commissioners said there was no better site in the Lee County Parks & Recreation system to name in his honor.
The acreage came into county ownership in 1975 after the Lee County Commission agreed to purchase the former Kickapoo Ranch from Clarence Duffala for $420,875.
It quickly became Lee County’s go-to site for concerts and major events.
“In November of 1978, the main building opened and has been home to concerts and events including Bob Hope, Ice Capades, Royal Lipizzaner Stallions, Harlem Globetrotters, Jimmy Buffet, U2, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Styx, Beach Boys, The Pointer Sisters, Foreigner, Bryan Adams and more,” the county swebsite states.
The now-aging complex that sits on 96 acres off Bayshore Road at the approach to SR 31 also became the home to the Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair in 1979, an event the county took over in 2023.
Plans for a revision are underway however county officials stated last year that the county was “committed to maintaining activities for 4-H and the Southwest Florida Ag Expo.”
Greenwell, whose district included the largely rural area near the center, was the commission’s spokesperson after a proposal was made to possibly commercialize and develop the Civic Center’s acreage.
Greenwell owned and operated with his family the nearby 31 Produce, a farmers market complete with U-pick field, country store and the popular Cracker Shack Cafe.
For more information about the renamed Mike Greenwell Regional Park, http://www.leeparks.org, call 239-533-7275 or email leeparks@leegov.com.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com