City sells Ed Smith to county

City sells Ed Smith to county

BUYER: Sarasota County, Sarasota

SELLER: City of Sarasota

PROPERTY: 2700 12th St., 1205, 1433 and 1500 Stringfield Ave. 1550 and 1520 Lowry Ave. and an additional portion of Lowry Avenue, Sarasota

PRICE: $1

PREVIOUS PRICE: $49,700, February 1989; $150,000, September 1987; $23,500, February 2007; $19,000, January 1989; $24,000, February 2007; $3,000, November 1991; $6,000, April 1994 and $96,300, May 1989

LAW FIRM ON DEED: Fergeson Skipper Shaw Keyser Baron & Tirabassi PA, Sarasota

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: The City of Sarasota has officially sold the 53-acre Ed Smith Stadium spring training facility at the southwest corner of 12th Street and Tuttle to Sarasota County for $1.

The complex features a 7,500-seat stadium with a press box, three concessions stands and two ticket booths; a 21,000-square-foot clubhouse for 150 players with secure parking; 18-acres grass parking area; four major league training fields; practice infield and four covered batting tunnels.

The sale was part of an inter-local agreement with the county to help it negotiate to bring the Baltimore Orioles to Sarasota for spring training.

“The feeling was it was easier to have one entity to negotiate with, and it was the county that would be putting up substantial tourist development funds,” says Sarasota City Manager Bob Bartolotta. “It was a much cleaner way to negotiate. We have a reverter clause in there that if they are unable to have to have spring training for two years we get it back for the same $1 cost.”

The baseball facility was originally built for the Chicago White Sox in 1989, but has been the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds since 1998.