Commissioners rename Lee County Civic Center Complex in honor of Mike Greenwell
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to rename the Lee County Civic Center Complex in his honor. The complex will now be called Mike Greenwell Regional Park. A moment of silence for Greenwell was held at the meeting.
Also in honor of Greenwell’s passing, the Executive Office of the Governor granted Lee County’s request to fly flags at half-staff today, Oct. 21, at all state buildings in Lee County.
Greenwell, a native of Lee County, died Oct. 9 at the age of 62 after a battle with cancer. A two-time All-Star with the Boston Red Sox, he returned home to start several business. He was a champion of the local 4-H club, youth sports and the rebuilding of the Lee Civic Center after Hurricane Ian.
Greenwell spent years at the Lee County Civic Center Complex as a boy and a father, and he made the Civic Center a central point during his service as a county commissioner. Lee County Commissioners said there was no better site in the Lee County Parks & Recreation system to name in his honor.
The site has a long and storied history in North Fort Myers since commissioners voted in 1975 to purchase the former Kickapoo Ranch and build it. Its first building opened in 1978 and the site hosts myriad events, including the annual Southwest Florida Ag Expo. To learn more about the renamed Mike Greenwell Regional Park, visit www.leeparks.org, call 239-533-7275 or email leeparks@leegov.com.
The Greenwell family has requested that in lieu of flowers, community members who want to honor him make donations to support Lee County 4-H. Find details of how to donate at
www.leegov.com/bocc/celebration-of-life.
The landing page also offers community members a way to share memories and upload photos in a virtual guestbook, which will remain available until Oct. 31. Comments and images will be shared with Greenwell’s family.