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Citing public safety issues, Crystal River officials close the park indefinitely after allegations of sexual activity.
By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 29, 2001
CRYSTAL RIVER -- The city closed Yeomans Park on Wednesday after receiving reports that some people are engaging in sexual activity there.
"The park is open to anyone regardless of sexual orientation," City Manager Phil Lilly said. "They cross the line when they either commit or solicit for illegal activity."
The park is closed indefinitely, the hope being that people who use it as a place for sexual encounters will go elsewhere.
"If anybody goes onto the property when the park is closed, it's trespassing," Lilly said.
Despite the allegations, there have been no arrests in the past two years and fewer than a dozen reports of "suspicious activity," Lilly said.
But the reports raise public safety issues, Lilly said.
"Parents should be able to bring their children into a public park and not be worried about letting their children go into a restroom," Lilly said. "Not that they would be molested, but what they would see."
While the park is closed, the city will perform maintenance tasks, such as replacing fixtures and painting.
Yeomans Park was established in 1997. Lee Calvin Yeomans, a lifelong resident who died Oct. 31 at age 63, donated the 40-acre tract, officially known as Yeomans Nature Park, in memory of his parents, L.C. and Vada Yeomans.