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Sarasota County OKs land purchase to lure Red Sox
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SARASOTA — Sarasota County commissioners are approving the purchase of more than an acre of land for a spring training stadium to help lure the Red Sox away from Fort Myers.
Commissioners voted 4-0 Tuesday to pay $4.8 million for the 1.2 acres south of downtown Sarasota. Plans call for a 10,000-seat stadium at the site.
Commissioner Joe Barbetta said buying the land was the only way to land the Red Sox. Sarasota is trying to replace the Cincinnati Reds, who will depart for Goodyear, Ariz., after the 2009 spring training season.
Sarasota has been courting the Red Sox for months, but no deal has been reached. The team has trained in Fort Myers since 1993.
If the Sox don’t move to Sarasota, the land will be converted into a park.
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Now that the Red Sox is being lured away to Sarasota the people of Fort-Myers and its surroundings will be out of choice. They gonna have to drive to Sarasota to enjoy the Red Sox. Remember gas price is skyrocheting. I have some relatives who live in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, each time I fill up my tank to go visit them I never get enough gas to come back to Naples. So, going there just for the game is about $140.00
#1 Posted by paulmoral on August 26, 2008 at 7:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Collier is not too far behind on foreclosures. Of course, with all of the sports offerings in Collier (shuffleboard, golf and some really intense games of BINGO), who needs baseball?
#2 Posted by jim09091 on August 27, 2008 at 11:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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