Palm Beach County (Fla.) commissioners are "gushing about the chance to build a spring training facility" for the Braves, according to Howard Goodman of the PALM BEACH POST. County Vice Mayor Hal Valeche met with Braves officials last Wednesday and said, "I told them I would try as hard as I could to figure out a creative way to finance this." Goodman noted the proposed Braves facility would be located just west of Lake Worth and "could cost" up to $100M. County commissioners Shelley Vana, Priscilla Taylor and Melissa McKinlay "sounded receptive to the idea" after meeting with Braves President John Schuerholz and Chair & CEO Terry McGuirk. However, Vina said that the project "would be a 'heavy-duty lift.'" The Astros and Nationals are already set to share a new Spring Training facility starting in '17, and the county also currently serves as home to the Marlins and Cardinals, which share Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. Adding a fifth club "would make Palm Beach County a cynosure of preseason baseball" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/26).
KNOW THY NEIGHBOR: In N.Y., Ken Belson wrote under the header, "A Baseball Renaissance On Florida's East Coast." The Astros/Nationals complex "will help rebalance the geographic alignment in Florida," bringing both teams "closer to their rivals." The east coast of Florida "saw an exodus of major league teams during the past few decades," as some left "for other parts of the state, others to Arizona." Like the Nationals, the Astros, who have played in Kissimmee in Central Florida since the '80's, ride "two or more hours on a bus to get to many away games." By sharing a complex in West Palm Beach, the Astros and Nationals will "cut their travel time and attract more fans eager to see their team play at home and on the road." Astros attorney Giles Kibbe "spearheaded the project." He said, "The best part was the proximity to the Cardinals and Marlins and Palm Beach airport. We'll still have some games on the West Coast, but it's going to be a significant convenience" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/28).
