Ocoee Advances Sports Vision with Pickleball Facility and Dynasty Project

Ocoee’s City Commission closed 2025 with two decisions that reshape the city’s sports landscape and set priorities for 2026. On Nov. 18, 2025 the commission unanimously rejected three private proposals to operate Forest Lake Golf Club, keeping full ownership and oversight under city control. At the same time, officials approved a revamped proposal from Vasant Sports LLC for a dedicated pickleball facility and continued to work with developers on a large mixed-use sports complex called The Dynasty | Ocoee.

City Manager Craig Shadrix framed the approach as community-driven, saying, “We’re really trying to make this an interactive process with the City Commission and with residents. This isn’t something where we come in with a finished product and say, ‘Here you go.’ We want to understand what the commissioners are hearing from their constituents and what the community actually wants.” That emphasis on local input will guide decisions about Forest Lake and the new facilities as planning and development advance.

Vasant Sports’ approved plan calls for 25 indoor tournament-style courts and one outdoor championship court. The facility is designed to host large pickleball tournaments that bring players from across the country, expanding year-round indoor play opportunities in Central Florida. For local players and organizers, that means more competitive scheduling, options for indoor practice during seasonal weather, and an increased chance that regional and national events will pick Ocoee as a host city.

The Dynasty | Ocoee is envisioned as a 159-acre mixed-use sports and entertainment destination with a 150,000-square-foot indoor sports facility, 17 multi-purpose sports fields, more than 1,100 hotel rooms planned, and roughly 350,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment. Developers say the project will fuse tournaments with vacation-style amenities to attract families and visitors year-round. Montierre Development faces multiple legal challenges and construction liens totaling more than $11 million from lenders, investors and contractors; Montierre CEO Jaime Douglas has denied those claims, and city officials remain optimistic about the project’s prospects.

Shadrix highlighted the expected community and economic benefits, saying, “These projects are going to generate tourism and economic growth,” and “they fulfill specific niches - competitive sports, indoor athletics and large events.” For residents that means potential job growth in hospitality and services, more high-level competition coming to town, and new recreational choices. It also means the city and developers must manage traffic, infrastructure, and community feedback as plans move forward.

Practical next steps for residents include attending upcoming commission meetings and public input sessions where details of Forest Lake operations and project timelines will be discussed. As Ocoee positions itself as a regional sports hub, local players, businesses and neighbors will find new opportunities, and new decisions to weigh, about the city’s sports-driven future.