When the Islamorada Foundation completes the project at the recently acquired property in Lower Matecumbe Key at 76800 Overseas Highway, residents and visitors to the space will find expansive green space and shaded structures; tennis, pickleball and bocce ball courts; a golf practice center and half-court basketball court; and ample parking.
While the property purchase cost was $1.6 million, building project cost is estimated at $1.8 million to $1.9 million, including demolition of the former Islamorada Tennis Center buildings and courts as well as raising the ground elevation.
“We saw the property as an opportunity to acquire another 3.5 acres and thwart potential commercial development,” said J.C. Mikula, who founded, and chairs the board of, the foundation. “We saw recreation as use of the property and plans are in place on 2.2 usable acres. The timeframe is 100% fund driven.”
The foundation has a successful track record of green space preservation since being founded in 2010. For 10 years, it managed and improved the property called Southwinds Park, a village-owned property at MM 82.1.
“We put in about $100,000 in infrastructure improvements during our operation of it,” said Mikula. Work included cleaning up the landscaping, adding memorial pavers and a fishing heritage walkway, and doing routine maintenance and upkeep.
“We fulfilled the contractual requirements while it also provided the foundation with a platform to educate people about the mission,” said Kristi Mikula, co-founder and board member. “We hosted events, a weekly farmers market and decorated the many trees with white lights every holiday season.”
The next project was purchasing the property that housed a couple restaurants through the decades but sat vacant for many years at MM 81. In 2018, the 1.39 acre property was acquired for $1.2 million and build-out occurred as funds were donated, including a $1 million donation from Islamorada resident Louella Reese, which granted naming rights, according to the Mikulas.
“The key point for the property was the connection between the old and new roads as well as the location on Upper Matecumbe Key,” Kristi Mikula said. “Easy access points for future users.”
The Gib Reese Park, named in honor of Reese’s late husband, now houses pay-as-you-play pickleball courts, a children’s playground, green space, native vegetation, picnic and shaded areas and parking.
Joe Jiovenetta, an Islamorada resident and owner of Alma Wealth Management, and his family play pickleball at the park and decided to organize a tournament to raise money for the Islamorada Foundation to go toward park maintenance. The Alma Wealth Open Pickleball Tournament first occurred in May 2024, with the third annual open held earlier this year in March.
“We plan to keep hosting the tournament. We thought the park is a beautiful enhancement to the Upper and Lower Matecumbe communities,” said Jiovenetta. “We wanted to raise money to assist with the upkeep.”
In 2023, the Megan Edwards Center was constructed to include meeting/event space with kitchen facilities and an affordable housing unit. The center’s name is in honor of Reese’s daughter, who passed away in 2021 from ovarian cancer. She and her husband were second homeowners in Islamorada, according to the foundation’s website.
“We want it to be an enhancement for the community and find appropriate uses,” Kristi Mikula said. “Homeowners association meetings, gardening classes, lectures and wedding rehearsals and weddings.”
More information is at islamoradafoundation.org or from J.C. Mikula at 305-407-4637.
