Sarasota ST Stadium Gets voted Down

[JaxRed]

I'll keep the latest here

This vote looks like it's coming in quickly and it's going to be close

8:08

26/27 precints and No ahead by 37 votes

[Matt700wlw]

Not looking good....NO by 118 votes as of 8:15

[JaxRed]

Waiting for one precinct to report (still). 2 sites show it losing (including election board) the third has same total with it winning. (i think that site is wrong)

[Matt700wlw]

A live update upcoming on 700 WLW following the break...

[JaxRed]

BTW.... WAY too hard to find the link to listen live on your web site. Missed most of Jeff's talk

[Matt700wlw]

As of right before 9...still down by 118, with 1 precinct still to report and 2000 absentee ballots left

[Dom Heffner]

Those old farts are never going to go for it.

I still visit there a few times a month but could not be happier to be out of Dodge.

Hard to drive down the roads there and not hear Willie Nelson singing about "Blue hairs driving in my lane..."

[JaxRed]

The 2000 absentee ballots thing Jeff reported sounds bogus to me. They can count absentee ballots before the election. And the ones they counted voted No.

[JaxRed]

1st 100% result is in and it says No. Pct given but not raw votes

[JaxRed]

The place that has numbers reversed has final numbers and show it winning by 130 votes. I think they still have numbers reversed

[JaxRed]

The web site with reversed numbers now has it losing also. By 225 votes. Barring a miracle, the Reds are out of Sarasota

[Heath]

Hello Frank McCourt? Have a ST site to sell?

[Matt700wlw]

That's a shame...

[KittyDuran]

Sigh... :( Don't know much about Vero Beach (never been there) but it'll be probably cheaper but not as nice as Sarasota. When I go down to Sarasota in March I'll go across to check Vero out and see if I want to spend money on ST in the future.

[Strikes Out Looking]

Sigh... :( Don't know much about Vero Beach (never been there) but it'll be probably cheaper but not as nice as Sarasota. When I go down to Sarasota in March I'll go across to check Vero out and see if I want to spend money on ST in the future.

Can't be as bad as Plant City.

[Heath]

Can't be as bad as Plant City.

No truer words have been spoken.

And hey, Vero Beach means a trip to Yeehaw Junction.

[Unassisted]

I'm sure the Reds have a Plan B and Plan C in their back pocket that they'll set in motion tomorrow. Those plans might not even require setting up shop in Arizona.

[JaxRed]

Arizona is the least likely of all the options. In order of likelihood

1. Vero Beach. Great facilties, terrible stadium. MLB baseball vowed to keep something there. County Commisioner claimed to have been wooing some team that promised a long term deal.

2. Orlando. Was a possibility for Indians. Great ballpark and facilities, but you'd have to share it with Braves. Owned by Disney, the stadium is expensive to run for FSL games because of high labor costs

3. Another shared stadium situation. Example - Brevard County (Viera, FL). Used as Nationals Florida base, has decent stadium that might use a minor facelift, and lots of land around it for another team's facilities

4. Bonita Springs - Tried to woo Indians, but couldn't raise the money.

5. Some unknown Florida City that wants to make a name for themselves. My guess it that it happens it would be in the Tampa suburbs

6. Arizona - MLB requires 2 teams to move, and looks like Reds are only ones

[JaxRed]

Interesting bit of info: From Vero Beach paper in article about today's Sarasota vote

"Indian River County administrator Joe Baird is currently negotiating with a major league team to replace the Dodgers as soon as 2009. While Baird will not identify the team, it is not believed to be the Reds."

[LawFive]

Well, guess that means 2008 is my last ST vacation. I really liked Tampa/Sarasota because of the Reds/Hard Rock casino/other entertainment combo.

[Sea Ray]

Arizona is the least likely of all the options. In order of likelihood

1. Vero Beach. Great facilties, terrible stadium. MLB baseball vowed to keep something there. County Commisioner claimed to have been wooing some team that promised a long term deal.

2. Orlando. Was a possibility for Indians. Great ballpark and facilities, but you'd have to share it with Braves. Owned by Disney, the stadium is expensive to run for FSL games because of high labor costs

3. Another shared stadium situation. Example - Brevard County (Viera, FL). Used as Nationals Florida base, has decent stadium that might use a minor facelift, and lots of land around it for another team's facilities

4. Bonita Springs - Tried to woo Indians, but couldn't raise the money.

5. Some unknown Florida City that wants to make a name for themselves. My guess it that it happens it would be in the Tampa suburbs

6. Arizona - MLB requires 2 teams to move, and looks like Reds are only ones


Are you sure Sarasota is 100% out? I would think after the Reds see what else is available to them that they'd go back to Sarasota and give them one last shot to keep them. Everything's negotiable.

Here in Cincinnati folks supporting the jail levy said that if it was voted down we'll never get a new jail. These tactics are used all the time.

The Reds own a team in Sarasota. I'm sure there'd be a cost to move them. I don't see a city throwing a sweetheart deal to woo the Reds. This isn't like the deal Baltimore gave the Browns.

[JaxRed]

I'll put it this way. The Reds are saying it's a done deal that they are gone.. As far as the A franchise, that just goes along with wherever they go. Only cost is changing shirts from Sarasota to Vero Beach.