One thing about Collier County's meeting this morning regarding what the Atlanta Braves want there (it's their "favorite" location it was said--maybe they tell that to all the girls) and have spent 5 to 6 years looking at the resources in that area, was the commission's reaction to the people and their wants. As it turned out, people came before politics.
After the presentation by Gary Price of Fifth Avenue Advisors, not one person wanted the stadium where Atlanta wanted to put it. One citizen didn't want any part of it anywhere. One of the residents brought up the same study that I referenced in an earlier blog this morning about the ROI--11 cents on the dollar. They didn't have business money pushing to ruin a conservation area and public park and they didn't have politicians working against the very people they serve.
A motion was made for the Atlanta Braves to work with their county staff regarding a different location, not one zoned residential right next to a residential community. In Collier County, it takes a super-majority to change zoning, something Lake Worth politicians fought against several years ago calling in all their outside special interest money and connections like the Chamber of Commerce to fight it. Lake Worth is all about politics, not people.
So the difference in elected officials in Collier County and Palm Beach County and Lake Worth is-- They care about their residents and want a location for a stadium that makes sense.
Read the Naples News
