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Is Nats, Brevard County marriage over?

Space Coast Stadium

The Washington Nationals are clearly on the prowl for a new spring-training home, as it becomes more and more apparent that Brevard County isn’t going to do a lot to keep the team at Space Coast Stadium.

We’ve documented meetings with Nats officials and reps from various municipalities — Osceola County, Fort Myers, Winter Haven, Arizona cities — over locations for a new spring-training facility, either solely for the Nats or in partnership with another team. The Nats have not exactly been shy about the desire for a new spring home.

At some point, though, we expected Brevard County to actually make a play to keep the Nats. Space Coast Stadium is an OK spring facility and the Carl Barger training complex is nicely laid out, but it’s certainly in need of a facelift: the suites are a little on the rough side and the group facilities in the outfield need improvement. These aren’t serious issues. And with the ballpark bonds scheduled to be paid off in 2013, the county has some financial room to commit to a round of renovations.

But as this report in Spring Training Online makes clear, Brevard County isn’t too serious about wooing the Nats, preferring instead to do the minimum amount of maintenance on the facility. The Viera community has never really supported the Nats, even when the team was expected to contend this year, and that apathy is still true today.

RELATED STORIES: Nats go public with desire for new spring-training facility; Nats, Astros eying new Osceola County spring-training complex; Could Cards, Marlins leave Treasure Coast?; Kasten: Nats definitely looking for new spring home

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