Atlanta Braves Spring deal getting notice, awards

Winning – it’s a great thing. But while our Braves team is doing that on the field this year, another effort is also generating some winning.

North Port, Florida will be the home of the Atlanta Braves as the calendar turns from Winter to Spring in 2019 and beyond. But the project itself it already garnering notice… and some accolades.

You’ve probably never heard of the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC). This is an education and advocacy group that also tries to get those interested in economic development connected with those in need of economic development. A reasonable ‘comp’ for this group might be Linked In… though their emphasis is in people and projects based in the state of Florida.

Such is the project that the Braves have underway in the West Villages of North Port. If you’re just now getting up to speed on this endeavor, here’s the glossy-print version, albeit a bit out of date with respect to the project cost. But the FEDC has chosen this development – and all of the particulars surrounding it – as their ‘Deal of the Year’.

"West Villages, FL— The Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC) awarded the 2018 Regional Deal of the Year Award to the City of North Port, Sarasota County and West Villages Florida for their collaborative roles in bringing the Atlanta Braves Spring Training complex to the area.… “The combined effort among Sarasota County, The City of North Port, the Atlanta Braves, Mattamy Homes and the West Villages Improvement District will impact the state for decades to come,” said Paul Erhardt, President of West Villages. “We know this is just the start of our successful collaboration that will spur economic development and sustainable growth for this area.”"

— source: Chappell/Roberts press release

The Numbers

The project, currently estimated to be the most expensive single-team facility for Spring Training ever built at $125 million, may open for the last week of Spring Training in 2019, though the Braves are covered – at Disney World – in the event that it doesn’t quite make that schedule.

For those concerned – as any taxpayer should be when their monies are involved – the projections are that North Port itself is estimating a positive cash flow of $368,000 annually from the new facility once it gets fully operational.

That’s part of an overall estimate of $1.7 billion in total economic impact for the duration of the Braves’ 30-year lease agreement.

It’s also notable that the cost overruns – and they’ve been fairly significant – are the responsibility of the Braves to cover.

More from Tomahawk Take

There’s jobs as well:

60 direct stadium jobs
79 related jobs (temporary, seasonal, or special event)
300 construction jobs

The Braves are also planning to host their extended Spring program on site in addition to their Gulf Coast League games. Part of the agreement with both the City of North Port and Sarasota County includes several dates annually for their events.

The press release also suggests a possible future Florida State League team. Currently, the Florida Fire Frogs are located in Kissimmee, and this is the 2nd year of their 4-year Player Development Contract (PDC) agreement with the franchisee that owns the name and has stadium rights with Osceola County stadium. We’ll see how that goes after 2020.

In the meantime, this project to bring more spring – and summer – baseball to SW Florida continues to march along toward completion in just about 9 more months.

Next: Another tune up... in a major league game

Hopefully it proves to be a mutually beneficial investment for all parties involved.

Thanks to Chris Wilkerson of Chappell Roberts for the material used for the core of this report.

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