Phillies move closer to renovations at BayCare Ballpark

CLEARWATER, Fla - An effort is gaining momentum to renovate BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater. 

The spring home of the Philadelphia Phillies is slated for a $205 million facelift. Team officials presented the plan to Pinellas County Commissioners this week. 

"This has been a very collaborative process," said Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton. 

What we know:

Pinellas County Commissioners held a one-hour workshop Thursday with Phillies officials to listen to their $205 million plan to renovate BayCare Ballpark. 

After 79 years, the Phillies showed off new renderings, and say it's time for a new video board, field lights, expanded concourse, better concessions and new seats. 

"You all have been actively involved in an understanding and participating in nurturing this relationship," said Brian Aungst, Jr, who represented the Phillies at the commission meeting.

The Phillies are promising to pay $75 million of the $205 million price tag, while the rest would come from $85 million in tourist taxes and $20 million from the state.

Dig deeper:

The city will be on the hook for some, but the Phillies promise to pay for any cost overruns and also bring in $80 million per year in economic impact.

"It just makes sense to use the tourist dollars that were hotel bed tax dollars that weren't generated by the citizens to use that money to reinvest in the community," said Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters.

The Phillies also showed that they have purchased land that surrounds the ballpark and plan on redeveloping that into more attractions, which they promise will renew the area around US-19 and Drew St.

"We're not giving them money for that," said Peters. "We're not giving them land for that, they went ahead and bought it themselves."

What's next:

Commissioners view the plan as essential for keeping the team for another two decades, which would keep it as the second-longest tenured spring training relationship, behind only the Tigers in Lakeland.

The 100th anniversary of the Phillies in Clearwater would be in 2047.

"I don't want to lose any local spring training teams to any other places in Florida or to Arizona, which has occurred in the past," said Latvala.

Another piece of good news for taxpayers is that the county administrator says they have enough to cover payments to the Phillies in cash, which would mean they do not have to issue bonds, which come with interest.

As far as the City of Clearwater's portion, that will have to be discussed at a future city meeting.