- December 6, 2025
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Community Development District 4 has been burned once, so board members spent over $700,000 to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
After an attempt to clean up fireworks went terribly wrong just after midnight on July 5, 2023, the pavilion and restrooms at Greenbrook Adventure Park burned and were completely destroyed.
Video footage of the incident shows what looks like a group of teenagers setting off fireworks and putting the remnants in a trash can, which then caught on fire an hour after they left.
The CDD replaced what was a wood pavilion with a steel pavilion, and the $711,707 price tag included several accessories, such as an updated security system.
Cameras are mounted inside and outside of the pavilion.
“If there is any vandalism,” said Steve Zielinski, executive director of the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority, “We can capture that instantly to get a better sense of who might have perpetrated the bad deed.”
The cost also included grills, picnic tables and metal trash and recycling bins that are fireproof.
Laura Adcock, principal architect and Florida region manager for WBRC, the firm that designed the pavilion, said the new structure is much more resilient than the last.
The frame of the pavilion was made with structural steel that is coated to prevent rust. The roof is metal, and the bathrooms were built with concrete blocks.
"If the bathrooms flood, they can be rebuilt and put back in commission within weeks," Adcock said. "If something catches on fire, they can repair it and open it back up. That was one of the goals — if anything were to happen to it, it would be able to go back online as quickly as possible."
Beyond being stronger, the new pavilion is also more flexible as far as hosting events and activities.
While the new pavilion is the same size as the old pavilion, the roof is pitched higher, so the space feels larger.
Plus, the old pavilion had a row of support beams through the center that divided the space. The new pavilion only has outer support beams, so it’s one big shady area that can accommodate a yoga class or be used as a dance floor.
Zielinski noted that the outdoor yoga classes are held under the sun, so the pavilion will be useful.
Keith Pandeloglou, CEO and president of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities, said the pavilion hasn’t been reactivated for programming yet, but it will be used for events that draw large crowds, such as the kids' craft classes.
Bingo is unlikely to return because it attracts a smaller group of attendees. About a dozen residents meet regularly at James L. Patton Park to play.
Patton Park is much smaller than Adventure Park, which Pandeloglou said can make the park difficult to program, so Bingo has been a good fit there.
However, the Mobile Plant Clinic that master gardeners from the UF/IFAS Extension currently set up at Bob Gardner Park makes a better fit at Adventure Park, so it will move.
Pandeloglou said that move makes sense because of the community garden that sits next to the dog park. He also noted that there are still a few plots available in the garden.
A private soft opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held Oct. 18, but the grand opening for the public will be Nov. 22, which is also the 25th anniversary of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities.
Pandeloglou said the opening won't be a large-scale event, but it will be a party for the community that, at the least, will include a one-man band and a food truck.
