Mike Greenwell, who played 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox before building a second career in real estate, construction and public service as a Lee County commissioner, died Oct. 9, two months after announcing he had medullary thyroid cancer. He was 62.
Greenwell, who was born in Lexington, Kentucky, but grew up in Lee County, rose to fame as an outfielder with the Red Sox, who relocated their spring training home from Winter Haven to City of Palms Park in Fort Myers in 1993 — in time for Greenwell’s final four big-league seasons.
A third-round pick in 1982 out of North Fort Myers High School, Greenwell finished his major league career in 1996 with a .303 batting average, a benchmark of excellence for a hitter. He had 1,400 hits and 130 home runs on his resume. He came of age just as major league salaries began to skyrocket. His baseball salary history shows the left fielder made $60,000 as a rookie in 1985 and a peak of $3.7 million in 1996 at age 32 during his final big-league season. He signed with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan in 1997 but returned home after seven games.
Mike Greenwell
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Red Sox Hall of Famer Mike Greenwell,” the Red Sox said in a statement. “The ‘Gator’ spent his entire career in a Red Sox uniform and was a beloved fixture at Fenway Park and Fort Myers. He gave so much to this organization, Lee County and Red Sox Nation. We send our love to the Greenwell family.”
At age 27 while in the prime of his playing days, Greenwell bought land off a then-remote Pine Island Road in Cape Coral. He developed it into Greenwell’s Bat-A-Ball and Family Fun Park, with batting cages, go-karts and an arcade that continued for almost 30 years under family ownership until April 2019, when he sold to a new owner. The new owner changed the name but continued an ode to Greenwell, calling it Gator Mike’s, his nickname.
Former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell, shown sliding into second base during his playing days, died Oct. 9 at 62. He finished second in American League MVP voting in 1988 after batting .325 with 22 home runs and 119 RBI.
Boston Red Sox
Greenwell’s sons, Riverdale High School graduates Bo and Garrett Greenwell, followed his legacy as baseball players, with Garrett playing at Oral Roberts University and Bo playing in the minor leagues for the Cleveland Indians and Red Sox. They both worked for their father and later took leadership of his construction company, Big League Builders.
Mike Greenwell also invested in real estate in Alva, where he made his post-playing home. He owned the land that became Produce 31, a farmer’s market and U-pick farm that closed in September, to make way for a four-lane highway, one that will be known as Babcock Ranch Road instead of State Road 31.
The state of Florida paid Greenwell $2.6 million in September for about 12 acres, via eminent domain. Greenwell and his family hired an attorney to try and attain more money.
Mike Greenwell, a North Fort Myers High School graduate and Red Sox fan favorite during his 12-year MLB career, died Oct. 9 at 62. He was later inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
Boston Red Sox
Greenwell’s desire to rezone his Alva land, including the parts just taken by the state and on which he built his Alva home, coincided with his entry into local politics.
When Frank Mann, Lee County’s District 5 commissioner, died in June 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Greenwell as his replacement, with a recommendation from Babcock Ranch developer Syd Kitson.
“I recommended him,” Kitson said of Greenwell. “But he earned it by who he is. He did a wonderful job in public service. He was a natural to be in that position. He was a great family man. He gave back to the community, not just through public service. He’s going to be missed.”
One year after taking office, in June 2023, Greenwell recused himself from voting on the rezoning of his 76 acres, which are now able to become a 400,000-square-foot shopping center and a 122-unit apartment complex. It’s considered by many real estate experts to be the best use for that land, given the growth and demand from nearby Babcock Ranch and other nearby planned housing developments. But the rezoning also drew the ire from many Alva residents, who protested at the hearing because of their desire to keep the area a rural, farming community.
Greenwell represented a district that has experienced extraordinary recent growth, with Alva and Lehigh Acres poised to continue growing in population. With many voters opposed to the rapid pace of growth, the majority of District 5 voters chose fellow Alva resident Amanda Cochran in 2024 in the Republican primary. But at-large voting gave Greenwell the overall primary lead and eventual 2024 election victory. Greenwell won his only election with 55% of the vote in the primary and 66% of the vote in the general election, when he faced Democratic challenger Kizzie Fowler.
Greenwell confirmed his cancer diagnosis Aug. 7. Since then, he participated remotely in at least one county commission meeting, but he had not participated in more than a month.
Under Florida law, DeSantis will name an interim successor. Because there are more than 28 months remaining in Greenwell’s term, the law calls for the interim commissioner to serve until after the November 2026 election. The winner of that will serve until after the November 2028 election, when Greenwell’s term expires.
Like Greenwell, fellow Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka grew up in Lee County, and they had known each other for years. Mulicka learned of Greenwell’s death in the early afternoon.
“I’m still in shock and heartbroken over the loss of my friend,” Mulicka said. “We knew each other from being around town and had some mutual friends. We had gone fishing together and other group activities, off and on. I was proud to consider him a friend. He’s just a great success story in Lee County. He’s a hometown hero. We will all miss him dearly. I was proud to sit next to him on the dais.”
Mike Greenwell, sworn in as Lee County’s District 5 commissioner in 2022 after being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, died Oct. 9 at 62.
Gulfshore Business
Commissioner Brian Hamman grew up watching Greenwell play baseball.
“I rooted for Mike as a kid growing up here and had a great time playing at his family fun park,” Hamman wrote in a text message. “Later as a sportscaster, I covered Mike’s work as a coach who was supporting his kids in their high school sports pursuits. When he joined us on the county commission, I’ll admit I was a little starstruck, but I also knew he would pick it up quickly.”
Kitson, a diehard New York Yankees fan, knew of Greenwell during his playing days but didn’t know him personally until 2005, when Babcock Ranch was in its infancy.
“We had a lot of fun with that when we talked about it,” Kitson said of Greenwell’s playing days. “I was reaching out to all the neighbors, including Mike. That’s when we struck our friendship.”
In 1988, Greenwell hit .325 with a career-best 22 home runs, 119 RBI and 16 stolen bases. He finished second to Jose Canseco that season in Most Valuable Player voting. Canseco hit .307 with 42 homers, 124 RBI and 40 stolen bases for the Oakland A’s. When Canseco later admitted he had been using performance-enhancing drugs that year, Greenwell made it known he should have won MVP.
Kitson agreed.
“I was a Greenwell fan for sure,” Kitson said. “I just didn’t like who he was playing for. It’s a wonderful rivalry that’s great for sports. I thought he should have been the MVP.”