BOCA RATON, Fla. — New signs at Boca Raton parks are causing quite a stir for residents who frequent the recreation areas.
No teaching or instruction, group play, or use of cones and ladders are allowed at Boca Raton parks without a permit.
The new signs seem to ban “any organized group play” without a permit.
“It’s ridiculous. I’m just going to go to a different park if they are going to do that,” said a resident.
The signage has created lots of buzz on Facebook — many saying the signs are confusing and getting people kicked out of the parks.
“It’s a public park so that just doesn’t make sense at all,” said Micah Leon.
Leon was practicing drills with his friend, something he says he does at least twice a week leading up to football season.
“We’ve been told to get off the fields cause of permits or another group out here,” he said. “It definitely affects the ability to just come out here to the park and try to train or try to get better.”
WPTV spoke to city leaders to get clarity on the new signage.
“If you’re going to be using our courts in furtherance of your professional training, that’s something that needs to be cleared through the city first,” said City Councilman Andy Thomson.
Thomson says there is some sort of misunderstanding and the signs are intended for sports leagues or trainers who take up courts and fields for hours on a routine basis.
“These parks are here for people to enjoy them,” he said. “If it were to be interpreted to exclude all of those things—parents teaching their kids, friends playing basketball together, they would never be used.”
However, some residents have been told to put training aids away by park rangers.
“I will work to make sure that it is totally clear that you are allowed to do that and that they are allowed to do that," Thomson said. "That’s what these parks are for in the city of Boca."
Monday afternoon the city reached out WPTV saying the new signs will be clarified.
The city says it just wanted to keep private lessons or groups from occupying fields and courts at Patch Reef Park and Woodlands Park.
