Palm Beach orders Four Seasons to restore pickleball courts to tennis

A luxury resort in the South End of Palm Beach learned that pickleball courts are not just an amenity upgrade. The Town of Palm Beach ordered Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach to restore two courts back to tennis after work was done without the permit required for the change, then backed that order by denying retroactive approval and levying a $250-per-day fine.

The dispute grew out of the resort’s Palm Pavilion, a new outdoor recreation area the Four Seasons opened in October 2025. That space bundled pickleball courts, bocce ball, mini golf and a renovated tennis court into a broader wellness push aimed at guests and local players. Town officials, however, treated the court conversion as a land-use issue, not a simple amenities refresh, and said the work had moved ahead before the proper approvals were in place.

That distinction mattered in a town with a formal permitting and plan-review process. Palm Beach’s permits and licenses system requires building permits, applications and other approvals, and the resort’s retroactive request did not persuade the town’s decision-makers. At an April 16, 2026 Code Enforcement Board meeting, the town held firm: the pickleball courts could not stay as built, and the space had to return to tennis.

The move fits a growing pattern in Palm Beach, where officials have shown they are willing to police high-profile court changes. In November 2025, the town imposed a $250 daily fine over an unapproved padel court at the estate of Nelson and Claudia Peltz, a signal that the enforcement posture extends well beyond one resort property. For clubs, hotels and HOAs weighing tennis-to-pickleball conversions, the message is now unmistakable: even in a market where demand for pickleball remains strong, local governments can still stop a project that skips the permit path.

For the amateur game, the Palm Beach ruling is bigger than one resort courtyard. It shows that court conversions are no longer being treated as minor cosmetic changes. In towns with active design and code oversight, pickleball expansion is becoming a regulated land-use decision, and the price of moving first can be forced removal, daily fines and a return to tennis.