Costs are higher, but the Atlanta Braves new spring home is approved

Hurricane Irma delayed the formalities, but Sarasota County got enough of their Governmental operations working to give final approvals to the Braves.

The Atlanta Braves are going to be playing Spring Training baseball in North port, Florida, come February 2019.  That is now finally official as the city of North Port became the final authority to give the last last last okay to the agreements.

The votes were to take place on September 11th, but the entire state of Florida was pre-occupied with other matters for a bit while trying to get off the deck from the body blows delivered as Hurricane Irma ravaged the area.

Sarasota County gave its approval on September 13th, as did the West Villages development district.  The third and final vote from North Port’s commissioners had to wait until today.

But the Money!

The originally reported cost of the project was said to be in the $75-80 million range, but last week, a $100 million number suddenly started appearing in press reports.

However, as the agreements are worded, the Braves will be responsible – as they were for SunTrust Park – for any cost overruns and thus they will be on the hook for a considerably bigger chunk of the cost to get the fields and facilities ready to go in the next 16 months.

Gotta like those trades for ‘cash considerations’.

A groundbreaking ceremony is already in the works for mid-October on the 94 acre site, the start of what will ultimately be a state-of-the-art facility in Southwest Florida that the Braves will use from at least 2019 through 2048.

This is a baseball blog, so of course we have some stats:

• 94 acres, $100 million
• 30 year lease – plus two team options (of course) of five years each
• 6,200 seats, plus room for 1,000 more out on a grassy berm beyond the left field fence.
• Dimensions and wall configuration identical to SunTrust Park (though a solid wall all around – no bricks, no fencing).
• Six full practice fields; two half-fields
• Press box sized for 25 media
• 55,000 square foot clubhouse and office building – said to be for both “major and minor league operations”

It is believed that the Braves will eventually move the Florida Fire Frogs to the area, though:  (a) there is no news on that front; and (b) this season represented the first of 4 years of play for the team’s High-A affiliate in Kissimmee.  So that can’t happen until at least 2021.

Next: The MInors: 2017 in review

But it’s done.  It took 4 governmental boards and buy-in from a developer (just for starters), but John Schuerholz’ shuttle diplomacy across Florida is complete and construction on his brainchild will begin in November.

Special thanks to ChappellRoberts for their contributions to this story.