Kissimmee Skateboard Park - Kissimmee FL

A family skatepark taken over by a gangster and corrupt politicians

With an excellent location and beautiful landscaping, Kissimmee skateboard park was opened by the Whitfield family (Ray, Doris and son Dave) in early June of 1977. After just six months of business, the family sold off the park to Skateboard Parks of Indiana (SPI), an investment group that was attempting to build “Skateboard World” parks as an overarching brand.  The company reportedly spent $280,000 on the acquisition. 

By the dawn of 1978, Kissimmee Skateboard Park was turned into “Kissimmee Skateboard World” and Park Management was taken over by Skip Dellapi from Cocoa.

SPI President --former Indiana State Senator and construction industry lobbyist-- Tom McComb told Skateboarder Magazine (vol 4 issue 10) that the company’s long-term plans included the ‘‘construction of eight parks in Indiana which will be geared for year-round operation and based on designs by the country’s leading designers.” 

By Jan 1979, however, Kissimmee was up for sale again, and Indiana did not get their eight promised skateparks.

At around that time, there was a crackdown on corruption in the Indiana legislature, and McComb was accused of bribing officials in exchange for legislative favors.  In the trial it was revealed that one of the partners in SPI, C. Carl Cirelli, had direct ties to the Detroit Cosa Nostra.  Cirelli was arrested for Medicaid fraud in 1980. McComb was found guilty of four counts of obstruction of justice and perjury.