After a long and difficult negotiation, many Sarasotans were deeply relieved to learn that Sarasota County finally struck a deal with the Baltimore Orioles. It seems we were destined to have a Rays divisional opponent no matter what happened, and the cost of losing baseball in the Sarasota area would have been exceedingly dramatic. One of the best memories I have as a kid are the days that my Dad would come and get me out of school early to take in an afternoon game at the ball park when the Chicago White Sox were in town. Besides the intangible impact that losing baseball would have had on the county, the numbers the local economy would have felt are staggering. According to the linked report, the average impact on each local economy is about $47 million dollars. This makes the reported $31 million cost to get the Orioles here seem like a paltry sum. When contemplating all of the best reasons to live in Sarasota- spring baseball is at the top of my list. I believe that keeping baseball in town in the spring will far reaching and lasting effects on the local economy and housing market. For comments or questions about this post or the Sarasota real estate market, you can contact me at DrewRussell@MichaelSaunders.com.

Posted by:Drew Russell