Baseball teams ride musical chairs

Spring training in Florida could have a different look in the next few years — and the Gulf Coast could end up with two new teams.

The Milwaukee Brewers might lead the way, with a possible move from Phoenix to Dunedin, Pinellas County, in the works, according to a News Service of Florida report. If the Brewers were to move to Dunedin, then the Toronto Blue Jays, which have held spring training there since the 1970s, would likely move across the state. The Houston Astros, the News Service says, might join the Blue Jays in a $100 million complex on 82 acres near a residential section of Palm Beach Gardens in Palm Beach County. The Astros currently hold spring training in Kissimmee, Osceola County.

The Washington Nationals, meanwhile, have been in talks with Lee County officials since late summer about a move to Fort Myers, spring training home for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. The Nationals play in Viera, Brevard County.

The shuffling around, to a large extent, stems from an economic development bill Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed in late May. That bill sets aside money for renovations or new construction of spring training stadiums for Major League teams that currently play in Florida. The subsidies, overseen by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, are designed to keep teams from leaving Florida for the Arizona-based Cactus League.

But while Tallahassee officials thought statewide, local officials worried about Florida towns poaching teams from each other. (See Business Observer, June 13). Looks like those worries might come true.