2016 Governor’s Baseball Dinner to be held in Bonita Springs
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Rick Scott, Lee County Sports Development and the Florida Sports Foundation kick off the annual Florida Spring Training season at the 2016 Governor’s Baseball Dinner, to be held Feb. 19 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs.
While Fort Myers and Lee County’s history of hosting spring training baseball dates back to 1925, this is the first time the Governor’s Baseball Dinner has been held in the area.
“The annual Governor’s Baseball Dinner marks the beginning of another exciting Spring Training Baseball season in Florida,” Gov. Scott said. “Florida is proud to be the home of 15 spring training teams, and we look forward to welcoming the families and visitors that this season will bring to our great state.”
Top executives from around the Florida Grapefruit League are expected to attend, including Boston Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and Manager John Farrell along with Minnesota Twins Executive Vice President, General Manager Terry Ryan and Manager Paul Molitor.
Individual tickets are available for purchase for $100. Visit www.floridagrapefruitleague.com to purchase tickets online or call the Lee County Sports Development office at 239-533-5273.
“Lee County is honored to host the Governor’s Baseball Dinner, an annual spring training baseball tradition,” said Jeff Mielke, executive director of Lee County Sports Development. “Lee County’s commitment to the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins continues to be a priority. With recent construction and renovations to JetBlue Park and the CenturyLink Sports Complex, as well as the commitment from the teams, this community is dedicated to hosting spring training baseball for many years to come.”
The Governor’s Baseball Dinner annually celebrates the opening of the Florida Grapefruit League season in Florida. The state is a frontrunner in Spring Training Baseball dating back to 1888 when the Washington Senators came south to Jacksonville.
Over 250,000 fans attended Florida Grapefruit League games last year in Fort Myers and attendance totals should reach that mark again in 2016. In the last 10 years, over 2.5 million baseball fans have gone through the turnstiles at Hammond Stadium, City of Palms Park and JetBlue Park.