County and City end negotiations with Boston Red Sox

Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota agreed today to end negotiations with the Boston Red Sox over a possible relocation of their spring training complex to Sarasota. Key points to note include:

• The City, County and Red Sox worked cooperatively and in good faith to reach an agreement on the development of a spring training and player development complex in Sarasota.

• Unfortunately, the parties have not been able to reach an agreement on the key terms and conditions for the project

• Current economic and credit market conditions have limited the funding resources available for the development of the complex

• The limited funding resources, combined with the limited sources available for operations and maintenance of the complex, have led the parties to agree to end the negotiations

• The City and County will continue to explore, in a fiscally responsible manner, any and all options in connection with the future of Payne Park and the Ed Smith Stadium Complex.

For more information, please contact:
Crystal L. Pruitt, (941) 861-5900; (941) 650-0695
cpruitt@scgov.net
or
Jan Thornburg, Public Information Officer (941) 954-2613
jan.thornburg@sarasotagov.com