Sox' park bears JetBlue name

FORT MYERS — JetBlue, Boston's biggest airline, announced it has acquired the naming rights for the new spring training stadium for the Red Sox baseball team in Fort Myers.

Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, but in a release, JetBlue said it would make “an annual contribution during the term of the agreement to the capital improvement fund already established by the Red Sox and Lee County to support ongoing maintenance and improvements to the facility.”

JetBlue Park, which will be ready for spring training next year near the intersection of Interstate 75 and Daniels Parkway, will have room for 11,000 fans and include a replica of the Green Monster wall and manual scoreboard.

Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino says the team is committed to playing its spring games in the new facility for “at least the next 30 years,” backed by a lease that begins in 2012.

Commissioners say locally based construction companies will receive $30 million worth of work associated with the park's construction, representing more than 65% of the total costs associated with the project.

The Red Sox have played their spring games in Fort Myers since 1993.