- May 12, 2025
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Sarasota County, which owns two stadiums used by Major League Baseball teams for Spring Training, is expecting to run out of money within a few years to fund the capital repairs it is contractually obligated to provide at the facilities. That’s what Sarasota County Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Director Nicole Rissler and Office of Financial Management Director Kim Radtke told the Sarasota County Commission at its April 23 board meeting. First, they provided some context around how important the stadiums are to the county.
“The total economic impact from Spring Training here was just a little more than $190 million" in 2024, Rissler says, "so it is big business." With almost no rainouts, she added, the county hopes to break $200 million in economic impact this year.
While baseball creates revenue for the county, maintaining the stadiums also carries with it a cost. Sarasota County is responsible for 100% of the capital repairs and replacements at Ed Smith Stadium, Rissler says. At its other stadium, CoolToday Park, it has an agreement with the Atlanta Braves that the club and county can negotiate capital repair and replacement costs beyond $174,000.
Ed Smith Stadium opened in 1989 off 12th Street in Sarasota and underwent a more than $30 million renovation in 2011. The Baltimore Orioles have used it as their spring training facility since 2010.
Because it is older, Ed Smith Stadium has recently required some costly capital repairs and replacements, according to Rissler.
“There are many systems in that facility that are 30 years old,” Rissler says.
HVAC renovations for the clubhouse and stadium, for example, total $11.5 million and are currently underway.
A facility condition assessment found necessary capital repair and replacements over the next five years at Ed Smith Stadium total more than $24.7 million.
“For a long time, we’ve kind of deferred maintenance” at Ed Smith Stadium, Commissioner Ron Cutsinger says.
The other stadium the county owns is much newer. CoolToday Park opened in 2019 near North Port and is the Spring Training home of the Atlanta Braves. Because it is so new, Rissler notes, its capital repair costs are much lower, with about $1.5 million budgeted each year for fiscal 2025 and 2026.
Recommended capital repairs and replacements at CoolToday Park include asphalt recoating, ADA lift system replacement, site lighting replacement, structural resealing and steel recoating.
Funding for the capital repairs and replacement at both facilities is allocated through the Tourist Development Tax, equal to 6 cents for every dollar charged for renting or leasing accommodations for a term of six months or less.
In fiscal year 2024, about $7.9 million from the tourist tax was allocated for sports stadium funding, while in 2025, that number was closer to $7.2 million. Sports stadium funding receives 16% of the funds collected from the Tourist Development Tax.
Based on the facility condition assessments for both stadiums and the expected revenue from the tourist tax, Rissler and Radtke say they determined the 5-year fund balance would be insufficient to complete its capital repair and replacement obligations.
Their projections show that starting in fiscal 2027, the budget will have a -$1.8 million balance. In 2028, that would become nearly -$5.4 million; in 2029, it would be almost -$6.6 million; and by 2030, it would be nearly -$8.8 million.
“We don't want to be in the place that we are today with significant repair and replacement that's needed and not [have] the funding available to do it,” Rissler says, noting that the county also wants to ensure it has reserves. “It is the staff's recommendation that we start putting money aside for those larger repairs and replacements for the Braves and CoolToday stadium for the future.”
Commissioners voted to direct county staff to analyze the Tourist Development Tax and funding options to cover future sports stadium expenses.
Rissler says she and Radtke plan to provide an analysis of the Tourist Development Tax and “what adjustments might be able to occur” to help fund the stadiums. They could appear as soon as May before the commissioners with their report.
