The Marlins and Cardinals have “reached an agreement with Palm Beach County that could keep both teams at Roger Dean Stadium for the next 16 years,” according to Capozzi & Playford of the PALM BEACH POST. The current lease runs through ’17. The proposed 10-year lease extension "doesn't guarantee the Marlins and Cardinals will actually stay in Jupiter for spring training through 2027.” At the "insistence of the teams, the proposal includes a clause that would let them leave" if the Mets or Nationals “move from Florida's East Coast.” The Marlins, Cardinals, Mets and Nationals are “the only teams that still" hold their Spring Training on Florida's East Coast. The proposed lease also applies to the Class A minor-league teams based at Roger Dean Stadium. The Marlins operate the Jupiter Hammerheads and the Cardinals run the Palm Beach Cardinals. The new agreement “creates a $5 million fund for additions to the facility -- $4 million provided by the county and $1 million by the teams.” Palm Beach County Facilities Development & Operations Department Dir Audrey Wolf said that the proposal will be “considered by the Tourist Development Council on April 14 before going to the County Commission on May 3” (PALM BEACH POST, 3/17). Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said, “We were concerned that there wouldn’t be enough teams to play. We wanted to make sure that was accounted for, and that with the state, the county, and the municipalities it was worth their while to keep teams on the southeast side” (STLTODAY.com, 3/16).
