Comment Up
Agenda
ADD ON: > motion to receive and file: update on
Attracting and Retaining Major League Spring Training Facilities to the
Southeast Florida Corridor.
SUMMARY: On Thursday March 6, 2014, Staff met with
owners of the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals (collectively
“Teams”). Staff from St.
Lucie County were also in attendance. The overall purpose of the meeting
was to exchange ideas on how additional Major League Baseball Spring Training
teams could be attracted and retained in the Southeast Florida corridor. The existing funding/legislative framework
and siting opportunities and challenges (“Existing Conditions”) were discussed
to solicit feedback from the teams on what changes can reasonably be made to
the Existing Conditions to;
1) encourage additional spring training franchises
locating in the southeast corridor, and
2) stabilize and sustain spring
training into the future.
A critical element to sustaining spring training in
the long term is to not only identify funding for the construction of new
stadium and/or expansion of existing stadiums but also for the
renewal/replacement of existing stadiums. At the end of the meeting, the Teams
indicated that they were very interested in continuing discussions and to that
end wanted the County to pursue:
1) legislative changes, with their support,
and
2) additional funding sources and strategies.
The Teams stated that they
have an interest in several sites and were going to move forward with their own
evaluations. The Teams did stress that follow-up needs to be done
expeditiously.
(FDO Admin) Countywide (MJ) (FDO)
Even the LW CRA had it on their agenda tonight and voted to approve supporting the stadium too. Seems like a mute point since the CRA really has no jurisdiction in that part of Lake Worth. So many support this, but if they had to live right next to it, like you do Lynn, I wonder if they would support it so close?
ReplyDeleteTo answer that, I object to it there for all the obvious reasons but the main reason for me is the total destruction of 100 acres of prime park land and all the environment and wild life that would be affected by it--
ReplyDeleteVana put it on the list of potential sites because of pressure from Lake Worth. What a sap. It's not going to hurt her in the long run because this site will not be chosen but it shows that politics is insidious and our city officials are deeply entrenched in treacherous decisions and/or behavior. That may be somewhat strong but it is how I feel.
ReplyDeleteI just wish the CRA would spend more time and effort focusing on eliminating blight, that is supposed to be their main goal and mission, but they never ever seem to accomplish it in all the years of being enacting. They should really work to deal with blight then, once fixed be a group that is abolished, it has just all become too political, all those members and the entire process, all out of touch, and not really addressing the blight and real pressing issues.
"Even the LW CRA had it on their agenda tonight and voted to approve supporting the stadium too. Seems like a mute point since the CRA really has no jurisdiction in that part of Lake Worth. So many support this, but if they had to live right next to it, like you do Lynn, I wonder if they would support it so close? "