Coehadjoe Park pickleball courts dedicated to the late John R. Hunt

John Hunt

The Coehadjoe Park pickleball courts have been named in honor of the late John Hunt, who encouraged Marion County officials to build the courts for the public’s enjoyment. Hunt, 80, died on Sept. 13 this year.

Hunt’s endeavor to provide dedicated courts began in 2015, when players were using tennis courts striped with pickleball lines. By mid-2016, he had provided enough evidence regarding the growth of the sport to necessitate the construction of dedicated pickleball courts. The county used unspent funds from other projects to create eight courts, noted the news release from Marion County.

Hunt was the founder of First Avenue National Bank, served as chairman of the board of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce, Marion Culture Alliance and Public Policy Institute, and was president of the Ocala/Silver Springs Rotary Club.

The park is located at 4225 NE 35th St., Ocala. To learn more, go to parks.marionfl.org