Both teams have said that they like the Jupiter, Fla. ballpark and would like to stayROGER DEAN CHEVROLET STADIUM
The Cardinals and Marlins have "halted plans" for a $100M upgrade to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, their Spring Training home, though they claim they are "simply pausing to regroup and reassess their needs, wants and the cost of the project," according to a front-page piece by Alexandra Seltzer of the PALM BEACH POST. Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III noted both teams like the Jupiter, Fla., facility and said, "The county and the state and the town all like us and want us to stay." DeWitt indicated that it "could be a year before the plans get back on track." Seltzer notes the Cardinals and Marlins have a lease with the ballpark, which is owned by Palm Beach County, through '27, and the planned renovations "would have extended the lease" until '47. The teams "hoped to get" as much as $50M from the state "over a 25-year period," though the formal request from the county is unknown. DeWitt said that the "formula of who would pay for what for the stadium upgrade hadn't been worked out." Seltzer writes the 7,000-seat ballpark needs an upgrade to "remain competitive" with other Spring Training facilities in Florida and Arizona. The park opened in '98 and "has never had a major renovation" (PALM BEACH POST, 7/13).
