Lee County Commissioners today held a moment of silence for their colleague, District 5 Commissioner Mike Greenwell, and voted to rename the Lee County Civic Center Complex in his honor. The complex will now be called Mike Greenwell Regional Park.
Also in honor of Greenwell’s passing, the Executive Office of the Governor granted Lee County’s request to fly flags at half-staff today, Oct. 21, at all state buildings in Lee County.
Greenwell, a native of Lee County, died Oct. 9 at the age of 62. He enjoyed a 12-year professional baseball career with the Boston Red Sox before returning home to raise his family and be a local business owner. He was appointed to the Board of County Commissioners by Gov. Ron DeSantis in July 2022 and reelected in 2024. He dedicated his life to 4-H and youth development in Lee County.
The Greenwell family has requested that in lieu of flowers, community members who want to honor him make donations to support Lee County 4-H. Find details of how to donate at
www.leegov.com/bocc/celebration-of-life.
The landing page also offers community members a way to share memories and upload photos in a virtual guestbook, which will remain available until Oct. 31. Comments and images will be shared with Greenwell’s family.
The family, the Red Sox and Lee County hosted a Celebration of Life on Saturday, Oct. 18, at JetBlue Park. A video of the ceremony, which was livestreamed, is available at the county’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@LeeCountyFLBOCC/videos or by clicking here.
Greenwell spent years at the Lee County Civic Center Complex as a boy and a father, and he made the Civic Center a central point during his service as a county commissioner. Lee County Commissioners said there was no better site in the Lee County Parks & Recreation system to name in his honor.
The site has a long and storied history in North Fort Myers since commissioners voted in 1975 to purchase the former Kickapoo Ranch and build it. Its first building opened in 1978 and the site hosts myriad events, including the annual Southwest Florida Ag Expo. To learn more about the renamed Mike Greenwell Regional Park, visit www.leeparks.org, call 239-533-7275 or email leeparks@leegov.com.
