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by Karris Harmon
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SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. — The Tiger Point Sports Association is asking the community for help in identifying the driver of a vehicle involved in a property damage incident at their sports complex.
The incident occurred on Jan. 8 around 12:55 a.m.
Suspected vandals came onto the property — located at Tiger Park Lane in Gulf Breeze — and caused thousands of dollars in damage to fields where children play soccer and football. The vandals even spray painted explicit graffiti onto the sidewalk.
The association is urging anyone who recognizes the vehicle in surveillance videos or has additional information to come forward. Community members can contact the association directly at 850-983-1190 or submit a tip through Santa Rosa Crime Stoppers.
The sports association that maintains the fields say they just got the fields in mint condition ahead of the rec season starting next month.
Tiger Point Sports Association is a non-profit that caters to children in the area, offering youth sports from t-ball to soccer. It's run by volunteers who put at least $30,000 into the fields to get it into mint condition.
"Our kids deserve a great place for rec sports," said Jessica Gibson, VP of the Tiger Point Sports Association. "It's so important for kid development and to teach teamwork. To have somebody come and destroy this, it's just awful."
"One selfish act has really put a whole community in a big bind," Gibson added.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office says the truck was seen pulling through the parking lot of the sports complex between midnight at 1 a.m. that night.
Deep tire marks on the field, according to the sheriff's office, created thousands of dollars in damage.
"It’s just a lack of respect for other people‘s property. We have no idea who it is," Gibson said.
Sheriff Bob Johnson says his office is investigating all leads to find the suspected individuals who have caused the damage.
The person responsible could face felony criminal mischief charges due to the dollar amount of property damages.
The deep tire marks on the field are now filled with sand.
Assistant Santa Rosa County Administrator Jared Lowe says the county has assisted with repairs and is coordinating with the sports association and law enforcement to identify the individual(s) involved.
They also plan to take measures to further prevent vehicles from accessing the playing fields.
The association is asking for sponsorship and donations and offering discounted sponsorship rates of $300 for social media, website, and signage on the fields for two seasons.
The goal is to raise $15,000 for the damages on the field and video surveillance.
