Governor Scott was in West Palm Beach Monday morning to sign a deal to keep baseball spring training in South Florida.
Florida has been fighting increased competition from Arizona as the preferred destination for Major League Baseball spring training, a big tourist draw for sports fans.
Governor Rick Scott signed into law a land swap between the city of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County, removing the last obstacle to the construction of a $135 million spring training facility for two Major League baseball teams.
The new facility will be built on a former landfill at 45th Street and Haverhill Road in Palm Beach County. It will be home to the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals, and is expected to open in 2017.
Last year, more than 99 million tourists came to Florida. Of those, approximately 13.3 million are estimated to have come specifically for sports tourism.
