SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — Capital City Country Club leadership assured concerned neighbors that the club is not being sold but will soon receive major renovations.
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City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox organized the meeting after rumors circulated that the club was being flipped for tens of millions of dollars just months after the city sold the property.
Residents brought questions directly to club leadership regarding potential privatization, land developments, and the protection of historic grave sites on the property.
Neighbors were concerned that "the country club had been sold, that the city had been duped," Williams-Cox said. "I didn't think that was the case. I truly believe that we just needed to do some fact finding, get the information. So we learned tonight that it is not being sold."
Capital City Country Club President Fred Baggett confirmed the property is not being sold.
Club leadership stated the golf course needs major upgrades, including improvements to the greens irrigation and car paths, but they were unable to secure traditional financing.
Instead, private investors are expected to contribute a minimum of $30 million to improve the course.
"We have worked with a group of well-funded investors who have given us the opportunity to working with them to renovate Capital City's golf course and bring it to a world class golf venue destination," Baggett said.
Some neighbors said the meeting helped ease their initial concerns about the project, but questions still remain.
"How much disruption there's going to be when they redo the golf course, how many trees they're going to pull down," Piers Rawling, the Myers Park Neighborhood Association President, said. "So there are certainly questions. But initially, my initial worries are somewhat resolved."
Other neighbors were worried about what would happen to historic grave sites on the property as improvements move forward.
"And we are committed to ensure that the redevelopment that is done respects those grave sites, and in fact, I think it will even enhance the protection of them, more than there is today," Baggett said.
Beyond the finances, neighbors are focused on preserving one of the city's largest green spaces.
"Golf courses aren't ideal as green spaces, but it's better than buildings, and if it gets developed, then it's never coming back as a green space. And it's rare to have green spaces in the middle of cities," Rawling said.
Club leaders reiterated that the private partnership allows for much-needed improvements while the club retains ownership of the land. They emphasize that any changes will be limited strictly to golf-related improvements.
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