Baseball has been America's pastime for more than a century. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on February 25, 2025 at 11:35 am
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The Atlantic Beach City Commission Chambers were packed Monday night with citizens concerned over how to share a popular park.
Youth baseball players were asked Sunday to leave Jack Russell Park to make way for the farmers market, which brings a lot of traffic and a need for parking.
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Baseball parents in Atlantic Beach were told baseball teams could not play games on the fields before 2:30 p.m. for the next four weeks.
Amber Rumancik is the parent of three young ballplayers who enjoy the park, as do many others in the community.
“This mandate is causing the city to have to choose in making us be pitted against the market,” Rumancik said. “That’s not fair. And that’s not good for our community. It should not be us against them. We can find a way to coexist, and I ask that you do that.”
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Many at the meeting wore green stickers asking the commissioners to “Pause the process and preserve Atlantic Beach life.”
The issue was tabled until April 14.
An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information about when baseball games are restricted. Teams cannot play before 2:30 p.m.
