Moneyball

Major League Baseball spring training means big money to Lee County businesses. After the Red Sox and Twins leave, their facilities mean even more.

By Andrew Warfield
| 5:00 a.m. April 5, 2019
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Lee County Sports Development Executive Director Jeff Mielke says as beneficial as spring training is to local business, their facilities are key to an even greater impact from amateur sports tourism. Stefania Pifferi photo

Travel-Tourism

With two Major League Baseball facilities nearly within the same ZIP code, the annual two-month spring training season means big business in Fort Myers and Lee County. Although the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins have packed up and headed north after their annual two-month stay in Southwest Florida, the teams and their fans have once again left behind a significant impact on the local economy.

'There are only a handful of communities that can tout the kind of brand alignment between the county and its beaches, the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins.' Jeff Mielke, Lee County Sports Development