Baseball fans rejoice: Florida will continue to be a spring training hotspot to 15 baseball teams for the next three decades. On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott held a “ceremonial bill signing” for legislation to advance a new spring training facility in West Palm Beach which will be home to the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals.
Scott originally signed the bill into law earlier this month.
The new law allows 27 acres of land in West Palm Beach to be converted to a spring training site for the two Major League Baseball teams. Work has already begun on site prep and the facility is expected to open in 2017.
Spring training is a more than 125-year-old tradition which brings many MLB fans to Florida to catch their favorite teams play games in February and March. The New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves are just a few of the teams calling Florida home for their spring training games.
“Spring training and Major League Baseball are a major reason why Florida continues to welcome record numbers of tourists,” said Gov. Scott at the ceremonial bill-signing Monday. “Last year almost 99 million people visited Florida -- and we’re on pace for even more visitors this year. With the Nationals and Astros announcing their spring training operations will remain in Florida for the next 30 years, and the news that our state will host the MLB All Star Game in 2017, it’s clear that Florida is the No. 1 state for baseball in the country.”
Jim Crane, owner of the Houston Astros (which currently use Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee for spring training), thanked the governor for his support of the new facility.
“Today is a great day for baseball, and we are thrilled to have West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County be our new home for spring training.”
The training is a definite contributor to the state, too -- the sports industry as a whole brings over $43 billion to Florida annually and accounts for 13.3 million visitors to the state each year.
Palm Beach County will see the benefits of the teams’ arrival to their county, as well -- the influx of two teams to the area could mean a slight increase in tourism for the third most populous county in the state.
"Palm Beach County has worked hard to create a premier spring training destination here in South Florida, and today's bill-signing moves us that much further towards our goal,” said Palm Beach County Mayor Shelley Vana. “Together with our partners, we welcome two more major league teams to Palm Beach County for a total of four teams and I can't wait to see the first pitch get thrown at the new stadium."
"Palm Beach County is quickly becoming one of the world's premier destinations for recreation and business,” said Daniel Martell of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County. “I look forward to our continued work to create more jobs and opportunities for all of the families who call Palm Beach County home."
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenew.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen
