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Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: 1 Spring Site Strikes Out

By Alan Carpenter

Apr 6, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A general view of Tropicana Field at the main gate prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles of at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A general view of Tropicana Field at the main gate prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles of at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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A general view of Tropicana Field at the main gate prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles of at Tropicana Field, which is kinda close to Sarasota County. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
A general view of Tropicana Field at the main gate prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles of at Tropicana Field, which is kinda close to Sarasota County. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves call off spring training talks with Collier County

LAURA LAYDEN / NAPLES DAILY NEWS

A face-to-face meeting between team representatives and county leaders planned for Wednesday has been called off. The team has decided not to continue talks about the possibility of making Collier County its spring training home because the county can’t meet the tight deadline for having a new stadium built by spring 2018, said Gary Price, a partner in Naples-based Fifth Avenue Advisors.

“We’ve always known the 2018 requirement could be a show stopper for us,” he said.

The team has been also eyeing locations in Palm Beach and Sarasota counties, with at least one of them promising to build a stadium by 2018.

“Apparently Sarasota has promised them 2018. I don’t know that they are any further along with their site plans so I’m not sure how they are going to deliver 2018, but I’ve been told they can,” Price said.

Ed. Note:  This was the Southwest Florida option that was being investigated by the Braves; the remaining options at this point are the Sarasota area (south of Tampa Bay) and Palm Beach County (likely be the furthest south of the East Coast teams wintering there).  It is still anyone’s guess as to which site would win, but as of today, there are 21 months until 2018’s Spring Training rolls around, so whoever wins this competition is already behind the 8-ball in getting something built.

Next: Life in Palm Beach

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