In 1973, Olympic pole vaulter Bob Seagren beat heavyweight boxer "Smokin'" Joe Frazier in a weightlifting contest in Rotonda West and took first place in that event. The contest was part of "The Superstars," a competition broadcast on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Its track events took place on the land that is now G.C. Herring Park at 3406 Indiana Road.
That same ground reopened to the public on Sept. 21, 2026, after a $3.14 million rebuild. Charlotte County officials held the ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The park was first built to show off a brand-new community to a television audience. Now it has been rebuilt for daily use by the people who live nearby. Whether it gets finished depends on a countywide vote on Nov. 3.
The Track Where a Boxer Lost a Weightlifting Event
The park first opened in the early 1970s with an oval track, bleachers, and an obstacle course. The obstacle course had a job. The Superstars set out to crown the best all-around athlete by putting stars from different sports up against each other. Bodybuilders swung baseball bats, boxers swam races, and soccer players bowled for points and prize money. In the finale, competitors ran through tubes and climbed over a wall.
The Rotonda West version ran from 1973 to 1977. The Charlotte Sun's list of competitors includes Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson, Joe Frazier, Billie Jean King, and Martina Navratilova. Earlier Sun coverage also names Walter Payton, Kyle Rote Jr., and Pete Rose. Some events took place away from the track. During the 1977 Women's Superstars, Wisconsin log-rolling champion Judy Scheer gave a demonstration in the Riverhouse Apartments pool.
The Rev. Carl Kaltreider, Rotonda West's archivist, came to Rotonda in 1973 to serve as pastor of Rotonda West Faith Lutheran Church. That was the year The Superstars arrived. He told the Sun that the small community rallied around the event:
"We got kids that got autographs a mile long. It was like Hollywood coming down the street."
Why a New Development Wanted ABC's Cameras
Rotonda's developers came up with the event promotion themselves. Cavanagh Communities Corporation, the company that developed Rotonda West, signed a 10-year contract with ABC. Kaltreider explained the network's side of the deal. "The idea was to keep the television audience (entertained) from the Super Bowl to spring training, from football to baseball."
Jack Alexander wrote "Rotonda, The Vision and the Reality" and gave The Superstars its own chapter. He described the community's side of the deal. Rotonda was "a highly speculative community" in its earliest days, he said, and suddenly the whole world was going to see it alongside famous athletes. "It pretty much put Rotonda on the map."
The contract ran 10 years, but the show didn't last that long. After five years it moved to a different site. The track, bleachers, and obstacle course had been built as a stage. After the cameras left, the stage stayed behind as a county park for roughly five decades. That is the starting point for this fall's rebuild.
What Opened on Sept. 21
Kimley-Horn designed Phase I during 2024 and 2025, and Jon F. Swift Construction finished the work on Sept. 21. All $3.14 million came from the 1% local option sales tax that voters extended in November 2020. According to the Sun, the rebuilt park has:
- Two playgrounds split by age, one for children 2 to 5 and one for ages 6 to 12
- A basketball court and a tennis court
- An outdoor fitness hub
- A running and walking track
- A large field for community events
- Three pavilions, one large and two small
- Public restrooms
The new layout keeps a track, which was the park's original centerpiece. In the 1970s it was built for televised races. Today it is a walking and running loop that is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The park sits directly across Indiana Road from American Legion Post 113. The county posts updates on its G.C. Herring Park page.
The Half That Isn't Built Yet
Phase I was the first of two planned phases. The county's Phase II project sheet lists what the second half would add and what it would cost.
| Phase I | Phase II | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Opened Sept. 21, 2026 | Proposed |
| Cost | $3.14 million, per the Sun | $4,131,703 total |
| Funding | 2020 sales tax extension | $3,850,000 from a new sales tax extension |
| What it adds | Playgrounds, courts, fitness hub, track, event field, three pavilions, restrooms | Four small pavilions, RC tracks, more lighted parking, fitness equipment, trails, a boardwalk, a fishing pier |
The "new sales tax" line refers to a specific vote. In November 2026, Charlotte County voters will decide whether to extend the 1% local option sales tax for 20 more years. A committee of residents reviewed the proposed projects in focus groups, and the County Commission then voted on a final list. G.C. Herring Park Phase 2 is on that list, under Quality of Life.
The Commission voted unanimously to put the 20-year question on the ballot. The tax is 1 cent on each dollar of taxable sales, applied to the first $5,000 of a purchase, and it brings the county's sales tax rate to 7%. The full 20-year list totals $901 million in projects. Early voting starts Oct. 19, and the general election is Nov. 3. From today's date, that leaves 18 days until early voting opens and about a month until Election Day. The county's 2026 Sales Tax Extension page links to a sheet for every project on the list.
Other projects on the same list are close to home for this part of the county, including Placida Passive Park Phase 3 and the Englewood Fire District Station 72 renovation. People who want to know which nearby projects are tied to the vote can open those sheets for the same kind of detail shown in the table above.
A Polling Place With Its Own Line Item
The vote has a direct link to this park. In its Oct. 1 story on the reopening, the Boca Beacon noted that the park is home to American Legion Post 113 and is where many residents of Cape Haze and the Charlotte County portion of Gasparilla Island cast their ballots. Some voters who decide whether the boardwalk and fishing pier get built will be voting a short walk from where they would go.
For voters who want details before Oct. 19, the project sheet answers the most common questions in plain numbers. It describes Phase 2 as continuing the renovation needed to bring the park up to the standard set in the county's Parks & Recreation Master Plan. It also estimates the annual operating cost of the finished project at $30,000.
The Same Stretch of Indiana Road This Fall
The new pavilions and event field come with a busy season along Indiana Road and around Rotonda. A few dates on local calendars:
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fellowship Church holds its free Family Fall Festival at 140 Rotonda Blvd. W., with games, crafts, hayrides, face painting, and pony rides.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, 4:30 to 7 p.m. The Rotonda West Association's calendar lists a Food Truck Tuesdays evening.
- Saturday, Nov. 7. The Rotonda American Legion Auxiliary holds its Holiday Arts & Craft Fair at 3436 Indiana Road, across the road from the new playgrounds. Vendor applications are due Oct. 16.
Rotonda's golf courses and its gathering spots get covered often, including in our look at where Rotonda West's six golf neighborhoods and Broadmoor come together. G.C. Herring Park is older than most of that story. It began as a TV set in a community that barely existed yet, and it reopened this fall with playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, and a walking track. The rest of its plan, the boardwalk, fishing pier, trails, and RC tracks, is listed on the 2026 sales tax ballot question.
Whether you just moved to Rotonda, have lived here since the days of The Superstars, or are trying to learn the history behind the places nearby, the team at Creighton Reyes Group is glad to talk about this part of Southwest Florida and what's changing around it. Visit our Rotonda West neighborhood page or contact us anytime with questions about the area.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
