DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The city of Daytona Beach and the Daytona Tortugas held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark to commence a $30 million renovation project coming to the historic venue.

City officials say construction is expected to begin this fall.

Nearly 80 years ago, Jackie Robinson famously broke the color barrier in professional baseball. It all happened at a spring training game played at City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach — now named in Robinson’s honor. 

“I refer to it as the most important sports moment in American history, because it integrated America’s pastime and essentially gave birth to the modern civil rights movement,” Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry said. 

Renovations to the ballpark, which is home to the Daytona Tortugas, will upgrade it to MLB standards for minor league venues.

“We want to meet that standard without breaking the tradition of the facility itself,” Henry said.

The upgrades will include a 30,000-square-foot player development facility with batting cages, fitness and dining facilities, and player clubhouses. There will also be enhancements to fan amenities, like the plaza area and concessions. 

Other updates could be coming, too. Last month, Henry, Daytona Beach cty manager Deric C. Feacher and deputy city manager Dru Driscoll traveled to New York to meet with the Jackie Robinson Foundation to discuss developing a museum at the ballpark.

“We want our museum to reflect his time in Daytona Beach,” Henry said. “So, we would like to essentially be able to tell the story from the local perspective.”

There’s no timeline for the museum yet, but if built, Henry said it will send an inspiring message to all who visit.

“Speaking about what Jackie accomplished, to be able to send a message to all kids in our community and everyone who visits our community: there’s nothing that you can’t accomplish,” he said.”

Construction on the renovations will start later this year. The first phase is set to be completed by early 2026.