CoolToday Park

In 2015, the Atlanta Braves began looking for a new Spring Training home.[4] Since 1997, the Braves held spring training at Champion Stadium near Orlando.[4] To reduce travel times the team sought a new spring home in Florida to get closer to other teams’ facilities.[4]

In April 2016, the Braves and Sarasota County officials announced they were in formal negotiations.[16] The Braves and Sarasota County began discussing a 100-to-150-acre (40 to 61 ha) site in the Wellen Park master-planned community in North Port.[4]

In January 2017, the Braves and Sarasota County announced that they had entered formal negotiations.[1] Initial plans for the project were for a $125 million complex on about 70 acres (28 ha).[1][17][18] Six weeks after the Braves entered exclusive negotiations with Sarasota County, Fla., about a new spring-training facility, the parties reached agreement on the key terms of a proposed deal.[4] The term sheet describes a $75.4 million facility to be built in the city of North Port and funded by Sarasota County, the state of Florida, North Port, the Braves and a private developer.[4]

On February 28, 2017, the planned deal for a new Atlanta Braves spring training stadium received its first approval.[19] The initial agreement, known as a term sheet, outlines some of the basic finance, construction and operating commitments for baseball stadium.[19] The Sarasota County Commission voted 4-1 to approve the terms, but only after commissioners raised serious questions about naming rights for the would-be stadium and public access to its numerous baseball and multi-use fields.[19] Although other commissioners seemed to support her concerns, no amendments were made to the terms, which now still include that the team is to retain revenues from naming the stadium.[19] Ultimately, commissioners agreed, there is more negotiating to be done and time to refine public access issues in the series of agreements due before the board in coming months.[19]

On May 9, 2017, the Sarasota County Commission unanimously endorsed the plan to revise the distribution of the county’s tourist development tax, collected on overnight stays at hotel rooms and short-term rentals.[20] The county plans to borrow about $22 million for the project and pay it back using a portion of the tourist tax funds, now specifically designated for the new Braves complex and the Baltimore Orioles’ Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, without raising the tax itself.[20]

The mechanism behind the change is perhaps best understood by imagining the 5% tax as five pennies levied on every dollar spent on hotel stays or short-term rentals.[20] Each of those “pennies” are divided and distributed to fund certain projects and the tax raises about $20 million a year.[20] By shifting the assignments of those “pennies,” the county will now dedicate about 15% of the annual collections — estimated at $3.3 million — to pay back borrowing for both the Braves and Ed Smith stadiums, plus capital improvement agreements for each.[20]

On May 23, 2017, the Sarasota County Commission voted unanimously to approve an operating agreement that spells out the terms and conditions of a new facility for the Braves and a non-relocation agreement that requires the team to hold spring training in the complex for 30 years.[21] The 48-page operating agreement sets a targeted completion date of January 15, 2019, for construction of the facility, which is to be built in the Sarasota County city of North Port.[21]

In June 2017, Wellen Park submitted the final grant application for $20 million in state stadium funding necessary to complete the $75 million to $80 million proposed public-private financing deal.[22] Also, North Port city leaders endorsed a licensing agreement with the Braves that allows for regular public use of the complex outside of baseball games.[22] This satisfied concerns that commissioners have raised over the past few months.[22]

On July 25, 2017, the North Port City Commission voted 3-2 to pay $4.7 million of sales tax money to help fund the spring training complex.[23] Mayor Linda Yates and Commissioner Debbie McDowell both opposed approving the inter-local agreement.[23] Commissioner Chris Hanks proved the swing vote on the motion to approve funding that was made by Vice Mayor Vanessa Carusone and seconded by Commissioner Jill Luke.[23]

On September 1, 2017, it was announced that the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity had conditionally approved $20 million that rounded out funding for the project.[24] On September 12, 2017 the Sarasota County commissioners unanimously approved the agreements.[18]

Commissioners also approved an interlocal agreement that outlines rights and responsibilities between the county and the West Villages Improvement District.[18] The West Villages Improvement District will be responsible for the design and construction of the training facility.[18] Upon completion, ownership will be transferred to the county.[18] On September 19, 2017, the plan received its final public approval from the North Port City Commission.[25]