The Phillies have a historical past with Clearwater, Florida. Since 1947, the Phillies spring coaching facility and ballpark has been discovered right here. However over the past decade or so, the Phillies have struggled to get cash out of native metropolis leaders. In early 2019, the Phillies asked for $40 million from vacationer taxes for ballpark renovations and have been flatly rejected. However now they’re attempting once more. Perhaps. We predict.
A number of weeks in the past, I wrote about the financial fight for tourism tax cash between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Rays need cash for a brand new ballpark, whereas the Phillies need funds for a brand new spring coaching ballpark and leisure district. Final yr, the Phillies advised Clearwater officers {that a} new ballpark, a middle for participant improvement and “visitor experiences” would value round $300 million (up to date: $320 million). Then, final week, the mayor of Clearwater and different metropolis officers met the Phillies to debate one other venture that the Phillies wish to embark on. This time it’s a “$250 million residential, dining and shopping complex”.
Solely who’s paying what? No one is speaking about crucial query in public. In keeping with the Tampa Bay Occasions, the Phillies met with metropolis leaders in January to inform them about their non-ballpark imaginative and prescient “but did not provide a cost estimate” or some other monetary numbers. However one councilman advised the Occasions that the Phillies advised him on this January assembly that the town could be given a request for public cash “in two weeks”.
“Then each two weeks it was the identical factor…I feel there’s worth in having the Phillies right here…however we’ve acquired to give you one thing all people feels snug with…and till we all know the ask, that’s exhausting to do” – Council member David Allbritton, Tampa Bay Times, 06/24/23
The workforce should have been ready for his or her most up-to-date go to to announce and request for public cash? No. Of their most up-to-date go to to metropolis corridor, the Phillies remained tight-lipped about how a lot the workforce needs from taxpayers. The town supervisor advised native media final week that the Phillies plans proceed to be “still conceptual” Nonetheless, the mayor of Clearwater appears to actually be in love with the workforce’s imaginative and prescient. The brand new ballpark? “Latest and greatest thing in professional sports”. Non-ballpark improvement? “High-Tech, expansive rebuild…(will) revitalize that entire corner”.
Yeah, I’ve heard the revitalizing line many occasions earlier than, so let me discover just some shortly off the highest of my head…Atlanta for the Falcons new stadium, Columbus for their MLS team and Jacksonville recently for the Jaguars new stadium. Excluding Jacksonville, I’m nonetheless ready for the revitalizing to bear fruition in any of the cities the place it was promised prior to now 20 years.
Since taxpayers will assist fund the Phillies initiatives, can we get a replica of the latest presentation to metropolis officers? Darn…“the team did not provide copies of the presentation”.
