Gov. DeSantis reportedly vetoed future Rays spring training site for this reason
One of the items Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed Thursday was $35 million for a Pasco County youth sports complex that was earmarked as a future spring training facility for the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
OutKick was the first to report DeSantis’ plan to veto the money in response to the Rays statement from late May advocating for gun safety after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.
The Rays statement posted to Twitter reads in full:
“We all deserve to be safe — in schools, grocery stores, places of worship, our neighborhoods, houses and America. The most recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have shaken us to the core. The Tampa Bay Rays are mourning these heartbreaking tragedies that took the lives of innocent children and adults.
“This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb. We cannot look the other way. We all know, if nothing changes, nothing changes.
“The Rays organization stands committed to actionable change and has made a $50,000 commitment to Everytown for Gun Safety’s Support Fund. Everytown is the largest gun violence prevention organization in America. Rather than our usual game coverage on social media tonight, we’ve partnered with Everytown to amplify facts about gun violence in America.
“We understand that no single organization can solve this crisis alone, but working together, we can make an impact. We invite you to join us and do what you can, when you can, where you can — because our lives depend on it.”
The Rays currently hold their spring training in Port Charlotte in southwest Florida. In 2014, the Tampa Tribune reported Pasco County was looking to develop a facility to hold spring training.
The Tampa Bay Times reported the veto comes after the state legislature approved funding in the budget, and the veto also denied “two separate $20 million allocations for the planned H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute’s health science park on nearly 800 acres in central Pasco,” as well as $14 million to extend Ridge Road.
“Not unexpected, but it was disappointing that our youth sports complex was vetoed,” Pasco commission chairperson Kathryn Starkey told the Times. “More disappointing are two of the other vetoes — Ridge Road and the recurring money for Moffitt.”
The outlet reported Starkey added, “Things like that [state money for sports] are very hard to keep alive. I’m not saying baseball is dead here because I still think we’ll have a conversation with the Rays, but this certainly makes it more difficult.”
