Residents and youth groups press Panama City to tighten park rental rules after field access dispute

Panama City residents and youth sports organizers on Saturday urged the city to change how it rents parks and enforces permits after several recent incidents at Robert and Mary Kane Park that community members say blocked neighborhood children from using the field.

At a public comment session, parents and coaches described repeated episodes in which children playing on the field were asked to leave while a private renter asserted exclusive use. "Public parks belong to the community," said Kelly Fukqua, who told commissioners she had asked the city to consider whether a renter truly needs use of an entire park and whether pavilions and fields can be rented separately. She asked the commission to temporarily extend park hours to 9:30 p.m. and reinstate open-play Friday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

"All they had to do was rent the field," said Marshall, who said he had a paid reservation and described being encircled by others when the police arrived. Stephen Boswell, a parent who said he reviewed body‑worn camera footage, said the footage shows the renter asked officers to lock the field during his paid time even though the permit listed community use. "This is not intentional," Boswell said of community conflicts, "but city policy should give the future of the city children a safe place to develop, grow and compete."

Representatives of the St. Andrews Soccer Club said most users at Oakrove Field were neighborhood children and that the club had opened a soccer lab to accommodate kids displaced by the dispute. "We have instructed them: if someone asks you to leave, you leave," a club coach said, adding that the group was prepared to move to Frank Nelson Park when it is ready for play.

Commissioners and staff acknowledged the tensions and said changes to rental fees and procedures were on the agenda for the Tuesday commission meeting. The mayor pro tem said the city is working on policy updates but emphasized the need to consider second‑order effects across all city facilities. City staff also noted a grant-funded improvement pipeline for several parks and said site work and parking for one park are expected to appear on a future agenda.

Residents urged clearer permit enforcement mechanisms: the ability to review and terminate a permit if it is used for a purpose other than stated; separate permitting for pavilions and fields; and defined hours that prioritize community access. Parents also asked for more adult presence and mediation at heated encounters so police are not the primary response.

The commission said it cannot make formal motions at the listening session but recommended that staff bring policy options and funding plans to the next meeting for formal action. The item will be discussed at the Tuesday meeting at 8 a.m.