Sarasota County opens six lighted pickleball courts at Twin Lakes Park

Six new lighted pickleball courts at Twin Lakes Park changed the equation for Sarasota players who need evening hours, not just daylight, to get games in. The project gives the county a dedicated public venue that can absorb more play, reduce pressure on crowded courts elsewhere and make after-work pickleball a real option in one of Florida’s hotter markets.

Sarasota County paired the courts with a new Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Administration Building and a new community building in a single ribbon-cutting at 5883 Hummingbird Avenue. The combined package carried a reported price tag of $13.78 million, a sign this was not a token add-on but a substantial investment in permanent recreation infrastructure.

The pickleball portion included six dedicated courts, fencing, a shade structure, accessible pedestrian connections and related amenities. County updates show the build moved in stages: lighting installation was completed April 20, site grading followed April 23, asphalt was placed for the tennis courts April 24 and for the pickleball courts April 27. Construction on the pickleball project officially began with a notice to proceed on December 15, 2025, and completion was targeted for June 2026.

The broader Twin Lakes upgrade gives the site more than new playing surfaces. The Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Administration Building measures 12,635 square feet, and the Twin Lakes Park Community Building adds 5,649 square feet with two large meeting rooms, support space and public bathrooms for adjacent athletic facilities. Sweet Sparkman Architects designed the project, Jon F. Swift Construction handled the build, and funding came from South County Park Impact Fees, North County Park Impact Fees, Surtax 4 and other revenues.

The setting matters, too. Twin Lakes Park is a 123-acre complex at 6700 Clark Road with 11 baseball fields, tennis courts, soccer fields, a playground and picnic space, and it has long sat inside Sarasota’s baseball history. County and local materials note Baltimore Orioles minor-league players trained there in 1989 and 1990, which helps explain why the park is now being treated as a multi-sport hub rather than a single-use site.

For amateur pickleball, the takeaway is straightforward: Twin Lakes now has the lights, the dedicated space and the surrounding infrastructure to support daily play, neighborhood leagues and organized programming long after the afternoon heat fades.