Family Dedicates Sun City Center Memorial Plaque for 16-year-old Lexi Ringo
SUN CITY CENTER, Fla – A Sun City Center memorial plaque was dedicated Sunday afternoon to honor a teenager whose life was cut short by an impaired driver.
Family, friends, and community members gathered at a local golf course to celebrate her lasting legacy.
A memorial plaque was unveiled Sunday at Freedom Fairways Golf Course in Sun City Center, where Lexi Ringo spent countless hours developing her golf game and building relationships with coaches and teammates. The plaque was placed near the fifth hole, a spot that held special meaning for the young golfer.
The tribute is surrounded by colorful plastic ducks, a nod to a tradition Ringo started by naming ducks after people in her life. Coaches recalled that the fifth hole often challenged Ringo early on, but she eventually conquered it by making a birdie there.
Ringo was a 16-year-old honor student, class president, and aspiring orthopedic surgeon who volunteered at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Metro Ministries. Her future was cut short on Dec. 26, 2025, when she and her mother were traveling near their Riverview home.
“She was our heart and the reason we got up every day,” her dad, Tim Ringo, said during the ceremony. Family members described the teenager as driven, compassionate, and dedicated to helping others.
The loss also deeply affected those in the local golf community. One of her coaches, Denis Roberts, said he nearly stopped coaching after her death because so much of the game reminded him of Ringo.
Ringo’s legacy will continue through new scholarship opportunities created in her honor. Officials with First Tee of Tampa Bay announced a 5,000 dollar annual scholarship for a graduating high school senior.
Her parents have also launched the Lexi’s Legacy Fund, which will offer scholarships to high school seniors and medical students at the University of Florida. The family hopes the programs will help future students pursue the same passion for service and education that defined Ringo’s life.
