Governor Rick Scott, Lee County Sports Development and the Florida Sports Foundation kick off the annual Florida Spring Training season at the 2016 Governor’s Baseball Dinner, to be held Friday, Feb. 19, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs/Fort Myers.
While Fort Myers and Lee County’s history of hosting spring training baseball dates back to 1925, this is the first time the Governor’s Baseball Dinner has been held in the area.
“The annual Governor’s Baseball Dinner marks the beginning of another exciting Spring Training Baseball season in Florida,” Governor Rick Scott said. “Florida is proud to be the home of fifteen spring training teams, and we look forward to welcoming the families and visitors that this season will bring to our great state.”
Top executives from around the Florida Grapefruit League are expected to attend including Boston Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and Manager John Farrell along with Minnesota Twins Executive Vice President, General Manager Terry Ryan and Manager Paul Molitor.
Individual tickets are available for purchase for $100 or a table of can be purchased for $1,000. Visit www.floridagrapefruitleague.com to purchase tickets online or call the Lee County Sports Development office at 239-533-5273.
“Lee County is honored to host the Governor’s Baseball Dinner, an annual spring training baseball tradition,” said Jeff Mielke, executive director of Lee County Sports Development. “Lee County’s commitment to the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins continues to be a priority. With recent construction and renovations to JetBlue Park and the CenturyLink Sports Complex, as well as the commitment from the teams, this community is dedicated to hosting spring training baseball for many years to come.”
The Governor’s Baseball Dinner annually celebrates the opening of the Florida Grapefruit League season in Florida. The State of Florida is a frontrunner in Spring Training Baseball dating back to 1888 when the Washington Senators came south to Jacksonville.
While the current teams, and the hosts for the 2016 event, the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox, have been in Lee County for three decades, the area has been hosting Spring Training Baseball since 1925. The Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals have previously called Fort Myers, and historic Terry Park, home.
Over 250,000 fans attended Florida Grapefruit League games last year in Fort Myers and attendance totals should reach that mark again in 2016. In the last 10 years, over 2.5 million baseball fans have gone through the turnstiles at Hammond Stadium at the CenturyLink Sports Complex, City of Palms Park and JetBlue Park.
Lee County Sports Development was created in 2003 to meet the growing demand for sports development in Lee County, and is recognized by the Florida Sports Foundation as one of the state’s 25 Regional Sports Commissions. The Lee County Sports Development office leads the recruitment and implementation of amateur and professional sports events and activities in Lee County, with the goal of providing economic impact to Lee County. Through local partnerships with Lee County Parks and Recreation and others, the Lee County Sports Development office provides services designed to address the needs of local, national and international sports entities including housing, access to venues, event management, transportation assistance, event promotion, marketing and local sponsorship opportunities. For more information, call 239-533-2221 or visit www.leeparks.org.
