Dear Manatee County Commissioners,

As parents, grandparents, coaches, and community members, we strongly support the county’s plan to build three new Little League baseball fields at Country Club East Park.

Right now, far more children want to play baseball in East Manatee County than there are fields to accommodate them. Many kids are turned away, practice times run late into the night, and families must travel long distances for a safe place to play.

These new fields aren’t just about baseball—they’re about:

• Community connection: building pride and friendships through youth sports.
• Health and wellness: promoting physical fitness, healthy habits, and time outdoors in a structured, positive environment.
• A positive path: when kids are playing baseball, they’re not riding e-bikes unsafely in the streets, vaping, or glued to violent video games—they’re active, supervised, and learning life skills.
• Opportunities beyond the game: volunteer hours, first jobs, and lifelong memories that keep giving back for generations.

The benefits extend well beyond the players—parents, siblings, grandparents, and neighbors all share in the experience. 

Manatee County has long recognized the need for these fields. Now is the time to follow through. Please don’t let the voices of a few stand in the way of opportunities for thousands of children and families.

We, the undersigned, urge you to move forward with the construction of new baseball fields at Country Club East Park—for our kids, our community, and our future.

Sincerely,
The Families and Supporters of Youth Baseball in Manatee County