Collier County Commissioners today rejected further negotiations with the Atlanta Braves on a new $101-million Naples spring-training complex, saying county funds could be better spent on beach restoration and road repairs.
The Braves were seeking further negotiations on a new complex, which would be backed by a 1 percent hike in the local bed tax. There was not a specific proposal on the table, past a general sense of the cost and an outline of a site proposal. However, commissioners made it clear they weren’t interested in further talks with the team.
We have all the details on our sister site, Spring Training Online.
This leaves Sarasota County and Palm Beach County as potential homes for Braves spring-training facilities. Sarasota County officials have been a little more active than Palm Beach County officials in working to land the Braves, who are slated to leave Champion Stadium and Wide World of Sports after 2018 spring training.