An artist's rendering shows the proposed stadium int he West Villages area of North Port. H-T archive/2016

The Braves, Sarasota County aren’t exclusive

Sarasota County is in a bit of an awkward spot a month into dating the Atlanta Braves.

It turns out the team also is seeing its ex: Palm Beach County.

Those two have a lot of serious history together. The team trained there for almost 40 years before dumping Palm Beach for Orlando and there are clearly still feelings between them.

Now Palm Beach County administrators plan to meet with consultants for the Atlanta Braves later this week to potentially develop a formal proposal to build a new spring training complex for the team there.

If that proposal comes back to the Palm Beach County Commission, they could have the opportunity to rekindle their relationship with the Braves before Sarasota County ever has the “are we exclusive” conversation.

Sarasota County leaders have played it cool so far — “We are still in active negotiations,” is the only line they’ll say publicly about it — and admitted the Braves are an attractive team, so it’s no surprise others are interested.

But Joe Capozzi at the Palm Beach Post has uncovered that team officials told commissioners there they’d rather get back together than move into new digs in North Port.

Local leaders say they won’t engage in a bidding war for the team, but they have hinted the proposed $100 million complex in the West Villages development at U.S. 41 and River Road could have better financing available with the developers involved. Palm Beach leaders have admitted financing would be the biggest hurdle there because the county committed $113 million two years ago toward a new complex for the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.

“We have not seen a site plan; this is really in the tentative stages,” Palm Beach County Comissioner Hal Valeche said Tuesday. “Whether it can be done yet, we don’t really know … We really don’t have anything on the table and we’re not going to be discussing this until it gets a lot more formed.”

With the Braves playing both sides, it’s down now to whoever tells the team they want to be exclusive first.

 

meet the writer

Zach Murdock

the latest

Derek occasionally gets homework assignments from daycare. It mostly consists of him learning how to trace his own name, and some very simple math problems – simple if you’re way above the age of 4, that it is. But it’s homework nonetheless. And we want Derek to know the importance of school, especially since he’ll … MORE>>
10. “Rides are always free,” drivers say. “Tips are always appreciated.” 9. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 8. Call 941-444-2585 for an iRide. (Soon there will be a Gotcha app for smartphones.) There are no set routes; you can hail any of the colorful electric vehicles you see on the street. 7. The downtown service area extends … MORE>>
Derek has decided he wants to be a firefighter when he gets older. Keep in mind he’s 4 and he can’t decide what color pajamas he wants to wear to bed. So that may change. But the good thing is I have used this to our advantage. Derek wants to grow and big to become … MORE>>
OMG, OMG, OMG! Fans are finally getting to see the first teaser trailer for the latest Star Wars film. The trailer was officially released at “Star Wars Celebration” in Orlando today. “The Last Jedi” (Episode VIII) will be in theaters on December 15.   The offical poster has also been released.         … MORE>>
Apparently, today is National Beer Day. April 7th is the celebration of when beer became legal again in the United States after the Cullen-Harrison Act was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on March 23, 1933. Sounds like it may have caught on as National Beer Day in 2009, when Justin Smith of Richmond, … MORE>>
Thanks to the city of Sarasota, Lido Beach just got a bright new addition: a cerulean marker displaying how high sea levels are projected to rise in the next 100 years. Here’s the thing–the facts are scary. We said it. To name just a few: In less than 15 years, by 2030, sea levels are … MORE>>
I hate eggs. Hate them. You can scramble them, poach them, make them sunny side up, and then you can go ahead and stuff yourself because I want nothing to do with them. I have a hard time watching people eat eggs. I liked French toast until someone told me it was nothing more than … MORE>>
Ringling College of Art + Design will be showcasing the best work in each major, in the annual Best of Ringling. The outstanding student work was selected by a jury of visiting artists and faculty members. The majors include: Advertising Design 
Business of Art and Design Computer Animation Film Fine Arts 
Game Art Graphic Design … MORE>>
It’s rare to see eight female filmmakers lined up in a row discussing their short film and documentary work–mostly because it’s rare to see eight women filmmakers together in one room at all. But that’s exactly what we saw Saturday evening at the reception for the 18th annual Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival, highlighting women … MORE>>
Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day. I’m sure social media will be a minefield of shenanigans. There are some do’s and don’ts to follow. Do: Make your prank harmless. Don’t: Trust anyone. Good luck. MORE>>