On Tuesday afternoon, the Lee County commissioners voted 3-1 to approve a proposal to keep the Boston Red Sox there for at least the next 30 years. At that time, the Red Sox hadn’t agreed to the deal.
Well this afternoon, just 4 days later, the Red Sox ownership group faxed a copy of a signed agreement keeping the team in Lee County.
The deal calls for Lee County to build a smaller version of Fenway Park at an undetermined location that will seat 9,999 and will have room for another 3,000 fans in grassy areas. The complex will also hold 6 practice fields and allow for other commercial development, including restaurants, hotels and shopping.
With the agreement in place now, the two sides can now get developers and an architect on board to get the complex underway. The tentative open date will be December 1st, 2011 meaning the first time it would be used for spring training would be in 2012.
