Atlanta Braves Plan To Make North Port Spring Training Home

NORTH PORT, FL — Atlanta Braves fans likely won’t have to drive to Orlando to watch their team in spring training action much longer. The organization announced Tuesday that North Port is its location of choice for creating a spring training center to move to after the team’s lease ends with Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

Sarasota County issued an official statement about the development Tuesday. According to the county, the Braves organization is in exclusive negotiations with it and its partners at the West Villages for the spring training relocation. If terms for an agreement can be made, the Braves could move to Sarasota County as soon as the 2019 spring training season, Terry McGuirk, Braves chairman and CEO, said in a statement.

"We appreciate the patience of all parties during this process," said McGuirk. "This is the perfect location for our team and we couldn't be more excited to be part of Sarasota County and West Villages."

Sarasota County Administrator Tom Harmer was authorized by the county commission back in March 2016 to negotiate with the Braves. By June of last year, the discussions were showing signs of promise, the county said.

"There's still a lot of work to do to finalize the terms, agreements and approvals necessary, but this announcement is a major step forward in the efforts to bring the Braves to our area," Harmer said. "Continuing to expand sports tourism is high on the county's list, and the opportunity to bring a major sports anchor to the City of North Port could have a significant impact in south county."

The planned location where the team will play is a site within the North Port city limits with access to U.S. 41 and West Villages Parkway.

West Villages land development partners have also played a role in negotiations, the county said.

“This is a true public-private partnership,” said West Villages general manager Marty Black. “The stadium complex blends well into our master plan for the area. It will become an anchor for our future entertainment district and complement our planned new downtown Main Street development.”

Further details about negotiations are not being released at this time. Sarasota County Commissioners, however, are anticipating an update on progress during their Jan. 24 meeting.

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