COASTE | PERSONALITIES COASTE | COMMUNITY
spring training — by way of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins — are our (yes) hot dogs and apple pie. Last year, both teams combined to attract almost 300,000 fans — an average of more than 8,700 fans per game — accounting for nearly 20% of the total attendance of all 15 major league franchises that train in Florida, and an estimated trickle-down of more than $70 million to our local economy.
While these fans gather in Southwest Florida by the thousands to watch their favorite teams, there’s another team hard at work to ensure that the experience is exceptional for everyone. Lee County Parks & Recreation is responsible for the upkeep of the facilities and continuity of operations — parking attendants, food vendors, security staff, cleaners, groundskeepers and more — and their work begins long before the umpire calls “play ball.” Their efforts may go uncelebrated, but don’t think they’re not appreciated. As Minnesota Twins President Dave St. Peter explains, it isn’t simply the nice weather that keeps his team training here. “We’ve found that Lee County has a higher quality of leadership when it comes to baseball, and we enjoy an absolutely wonderful partnershipwith the community.”Noting that the quality of ballparks and playing fields is “wonderful,” he concludes: “There’s nowhere else we would rather be.”
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