TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The City of Tallahassee and Leon County are breaking ground on what will be one of Florida's longest skate parks.
As an intergovernmental project with Blueprint, one of the biggest needs for Tallahassee skaters was a safe and accessible place for kids to skate and not get in trouble.
Orlando Vazquez has spent the last seven years of his life helping plan and advocate for the Park.
"This activity definitely kept me out of trouble," said Orlando. "And I wanted to pass that a long to future generations."
The new park will feature a 200 ft. snake run, featuring a Florida A&M Rattler, along with structures resembling the Korean War memorial at Cascades Park.
There's a reason for that.
Skaters have used the memorial in the past and that was a problem.
The new park's design is solution that city and county leaders say they hope will keep skaters out of trouble.
"I've gotten kicked out and screamed at actually for skating that. I do respect that is a memorial so I haven't skated it sense then," said skater Elio Fernandez.
The new park will be the second skate park in Tallahassee, with the Mike Blakenship Skate Park being built in the early 2000's.
"Skating is the number one outlet that has led me to meet so many new people and learn a lot about other cultures so anyone who is able to skate with a great skate park like this is lucky," said Fernandez.
Construction should wrap up by late summer of 2022.
