Red Sox spring training stadium to get new seats in $2.6M project

Lee County commissioners have approved a $2.6 million contract to replace the seats at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox. 

Commissioners, according to a statement from the county, voted Tuesday to replace the “aging stadium seating by piggybacking on an existing vendor contract from a purchasing organization.” The stadium’s existing seats, in place since the facility opened in March 2012, are sun-bleached and are becoming brittle, with some cracking.

The contract will replace 9,081 stadium-style seats for about $2.6 million — a 56% discount from list price due to the existing contract, county officials say. Stadium capacity will remain the same. The seats are being provided by Irwin Seating Co., which has an existing contract with Region 4/Omnia Partners.

The project will be paid for through the Stadium Repair and Replacement fund, which is supported by the Tourist Development Tax collected on short-term lodging in Lee County, according to the statement. 

JetBlue Park is a Lee County Parks & Recreation facility. In addition to the Red Sox, the stadium hosts a variety of amateur sporting and community events.

The work will not interfere with the 2026 spring training season, county officials say.