ORLANDO, Fla. – A groundbreaking ceremony is held Thursday morning for a new Orange County park being dedicated to a deputy who died in the line of duty.
The park near the 417 and Orange Blossom Trail is being named after Brandon Coates, who was shot and killed in December of 2010.
Thursday, Deputy Coates' mom, widow, colleagues, friends, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and county representatives gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking. It's been more than four years since Coates was killed, but his family and the sheriff are happy that with the dedication of the park in his name, children who weren't even alive when he died, will always know about the sacrifice he made.
"I know he's looking down smiling because he's going to see kids and families coming together and becoming friends," said Debbie Griffin, Brandon Coates' mother.
Griffin said her son was born to serve. He did two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps before becoming an Orange County Sheriff's Deputy. Brandon Coates protected the citizens of Orange County for nearly five years before he was gunned down during a traffic stop on Orange Blossom Trail in 2010.
"Losing him has had a big effect on me and knowing that the community stands behind me and shows the support to me for my son means everything," said Griffin.
With a symbolic turning of the dirt ceremony, the first phase of the Deputy Brandon Coates Community Park is underway. The park will have fields, a skate park, playground, exercise court and paved walking paths.
"It certainly brings back that dreadful day that we can never forget. But it also brings forward some great memories and some great possibilities of what this park is going to mean to this community," said Demings.
Crews have already begun to clear the land. The park is expected to be completed in January 2016.