West Palm Beach City Commissioners yesterday “threw a brush-back pitch at Palm Beach County’s efforts to preserve spring training on Florida’s east coast with a new baseball stadium" in the city, according to Capozzi & Doris of the PALM BEACH POST. Commissioners voted to give developer Parkside Commons “exclusive rights for the next three months to develop a detailed proposal for a mixed-use project on a 160-acre site” where the Astros and Nationals want to build a Spring Training complex. If the commission “approves the multi-use project in three months, the city would then give the teams -- or any other company -- 30 days to come up with a competing proposal for the site.” The commission’s unanimous vote “essentially delays by four months any chance the teams have at getting permission to build the stadium on the 160-acre site.” There are “no other sites in the county being seriously considered by the teams” Astros Owner Jim Crane, who did not attend the meeting, “had hoped to have a stadium deal for the West Palm site wrapped up before November.” Nationals minority partner Arthur Fuccillo said, "We still hope to look at this site" (PALM BEACH POST, 10/15). In Ft. Lauderdale, Andy Reid writes West Palm Beach officials are “playing hardball” with backers for the proposed ballpark. So far, the county and the teams “haven't been willing to pay for the land or trade property with the city.” West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio said, “Show us the money. We have someone willing to pay for this site. ... It checks a lot of boxes for us.” Reid notes the teams’ proposal calls for about $24M “more of public money than once planned, which is an expense the County Commission last month wasn’t willing to pay” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/15).
