Guest Author
Although the Florida Legislature passed the state budget and brought this year’s session to a close, it is not too late to call for an ejection regarding a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Lawmakers approved $35 million for a brand-new baseball training facility for the Tampa Bay Rays in Pasco County. Using Floridians’ hard-earned dollars for something that only benefits some is a complete disservice to them.
By wisely using his line-item veto power, Gov. Ron DeSantis can stop Rays owners from stealing a base (and much more) from Florida residents. The effort to siphon public dollars into construction projects for the Rays has been clear corporate welfare from the start, and it’s time that state leadership declare “game over.”
Pasco County native Sen. Danny Burgess submitted a funding request for a facility to be used as a “sports training and youth tournament complex.” It seemed likely that the request would be supported by another of Pasco’s own, Senate President Wilton Simpson. Since the Legislature had plenty of money to go around this Session, the project received a substantial allocation.
While boosting youth sports is certainly a positive thing, that’s not the real purpose of this appropriation. The Rays will largely occupy this facility during springtime, shutting out the community benefit for a portion of the year. And let’s not be naive about the real reason behind funds for this facility — letting wealthy team owners avoid reaching into their own pockets for something they want. This would also help them avoid paying taxes on their facilities.
This is simply unfair to Florida taxpayers. Using public funds for sports facilities has been proven to be a poor use of tax dollars. The money doesn’t contribute to sustained economic growth or provide clear, measurable benefits to the community.
In fact, decades of research show stadiums are a poor investment for taxpayers and whatever economic activity they do generate is usually negative.
In addition to providing little benefit to the general public, this facility could be a waste of money. It’s still uncertain the team will stay in the area. While the Rays won’t be playing half the time in Montreal after Major League Baseball scrapped that idea, it’s still uncertain where the team’s future stadium will be.
At the end of the day, there is simply no reason a hardworking single mom or dad living in Pensacola or Miami should have to pay for the Rays to move their spring training facility from Charlotte County to Pasco County. The state should not pay to pull the Rays out of one county and put them in another.
This training facility can and should be paid for by team owners. Public dollars should be used for projects like improving infrastructure — things that clearly benefit everyone in the community.
The game isn’t over on this appropriation, as there’s still one more turn at bat. DeSantis, a former college baseball player, should call strike three on the issue by using his line-item veto power to reject this foul idea.
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Skylar Zander is the Florida State Director of Americans for Prosperity.
