Pickleball plan raises fear of ‘whitening’ Florida beachfront community

<p>Fort Lauderdale redevelopment would scrap oceanside basketball courts – and some have suggested a racial motive</p><p>A proposal to rip out decades-old public basketball courts on Fort Lauderdale’s historic beachfront and replace them with new pickleball facilities has enraged residents, and prompted some to suggest an underlying racial motive.</p><p>The two oceanside courts were built within 10 years of a landmark 1962 judicial ruling that <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/civil-rights-activist-eula-johnsons-wade-ins-ended-segregation-in-fort-lauderdale-beach/137565/">ended segregation</a> on the Florida city’s beaches. They have remained popular with a diverse crowd of players and spectators since.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/11/pickleball-fort-lauderdale-redevelopment">Continue reading...</a>