Fernandina Beach is moving forward with a plan to rebuild the athletic fields and amenities at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center on Elm Street.

Parks and Recreation Director Scott Mikelson briefed city commissioners Tuesday on the redevelopment project, telling them the community and multiple organizations had come together to shape the plan, the Fernandina Beach News-Leader reported.

Neighborhood opposition stalled the earlier plan

The briefing marks a turning point for a project that stalled nearly a year ago. In November 2025, residents from the historically Black neighborhood surrounding the MLK center packed a commission meeting to oppose a three-field softball expansion. Commissioners agreed to pause the effort.

The Rev. Bernard Thompson, a neighborhood leader, told commissioners at that November 2025 meeting that projects had been proposed in the area without consulting the people affected. "We just want to be left alone ... Three fields at MLK, this is not good for us," Thompson said, according to the Fernandina Observer.

Residents raised concerns about parking overflow, noise, lights and the loss of community green space and pavilion areas. The MLK center sits within one of Fernandina Beach's oldest neighborhoods, anchored by Elm Street, 12th Street and South 13th Street.

Redesign cuts the field count from three to two

The city held a community meeting July 22 at the recreation center, 1200 Elm St., to present design options. The city's announcement for that meeting referenced two new sports fields, down from the three-field layout the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee had endorsed in a 7-0 vote before the November 2025 pushback.

The earlier three-field version carried a $2 million price tag and would have expanded parking from 22 spaces to 70-75, according to the Fernandina Observer. Updated cost and parking figures from the current plan were not available.

Softball deadline and city budget drive the project

The project is driven partly by a 2027 deadline. Construction of the Ybor Alvarez Sports Complex will remove one of Fernandina's existing softball fields, and the city needs replacement capacity, Nassau Newsline reported. Elm Street Little League Girls Softball has grown from four teams with about 50 players to eight teams with about 85.

Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue said in March, during a separate parks master plan discussion, that he would not support closing the MLK center. "I'm not going to be in favor of closing MLK," Ayscue said, according to the Fernandina Observer.

The MLK redevelopment is listed among the major drivers of the city's five-year Capital Improvement Plan, which commissioners endorsed 5-0 in July at roughly $167.6 million, according to the Observer.

The city has not announced a vote or next action date following Tuesday's briefing.