WELLINGTON, Fla. — A large proposed equestrian development is still seeking approval in Wellington. However, another project in the same part of town is now ready for construction.
The Wellington Sports Academy is the plan for Jon Bostic, a Palm Beach Central High School graduate, University of Florida linebacker and 10-year NFL veteran.
"Why not start at home, and that's where we really said," Bostic said. "We want to help the kids here first."
The facility will be located at Wellington Community Park, located along South Shore Boulevard.
"Right now, we're offering 12 different sports," Bostic said. "This is the biggest training facility in the state of Florida, one of the biggest in the country."
The facility is part of a public-private partnership with Wellington, which made the park available for the project.
"Public access is key to the public-private partnership," village manager Jim Barnes said. "Access would be access not only to the indoor facility but the outdoor field space."
Bostic said the training facility will be for men's and women's sports, from youth to the professionals with a target to open by next fall.
It will be on a site where he said he first started playing sports like baseball.
"It is definitely a special place," Bostic said. "This is where I grew up, where a lot of my memories first started, where my dreams first started growing."