
TOURISM
Florida would be more easily accessible for Florida residents.
The Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale housed the
hall beginning in 2010 and in 2015 it was moved to the Central
Florida’s Visitor Information Center in Davenport.
And now it has landed in Port St. Lucie.
“In a state where the climate lets us play sports year round
and where so many of the all-time great sports figures call
home, the City of Port St. Lucie is especially proud to welcome
the Florida Sports Hall of Fame to our Event Center;
and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to partner
on the Hall of Fame’s dual mission of recognizing and honoring
Florida’s greatest sports figures and promoting fitness
awareness, education and sports among our state’s youth and
adults,” Mayor Greg Oravec stated in a news release.
TONS OF THINGS TO SEE
Over the years, the hall’s memorabilia and displays have
grown due to many donations.
“We have photos, video, signed jerseys, balls, trophies,
plaques,” Hatcher said. “It is a real treasure trove of sportsrelated
memorabilia that you can’t see anywhere else. We are
lucky to have had so many members donate items over our
60 years.”
For someone to be eligible for placement in the hall, they
must meet one of the following criteria: they must have been
born in the state of Florida, have significant state ties or spent
a substantial part of their amateur or professional careers in
Florida.
Its first classes contain the likes of Willie Galimore, Bill
Hartack, Shirley Fry and Jack Nicklaus. Between 2013 and
2019, there were quite a few big names inducted — Roy >>
Rick Hatcher, hall president-elect, came up with the idea of moving the
Florida Sports Hall of Fame to Port St. Lucie.
Port St. Lucie is home to the New York Mets during spring training, so it is only fitting to have a signed jersey and baseball from Mets catcher Gary Carter,
along with a hat from his time with the Montreal Expos, on display.
Port St. Lucie Magazine 17