DUNEDIN, Fla. — Batter up! MLB Spring Training is back in the Tampa Bay Area — and it’s not just getting baseball fans excited.
Local businesses in Spring Training sites like Dunedin, where streets are adorned with Blue Jays flags, are excited to be welcoming back fans for baseball, sunshine and a boost in local business.
“It's February and we're in shorts, how about that,” laughed Joe Conlon, a Toronto Blue Jays fan.
“Yeah, it's minus 16 degrees Celsius back home right now, it's snowing,” John MacDonald said.
No Fahrenheit for the Canadian Blue Jays faithful visiting 74-degree Pinellas County this past Monday.
“Folks across all of Canada see Dunedin, they know how to say it and they look forward to coming down here and checking it out for themselves,” Brian Lowack, the president and CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, said.
Between the Blue Jays in Dunedin and the Phillies in Clearwater, 200,000 people visit Pinellas County for Spring Training
“They fill up hotels and they contribute immensely to our economy here Pinellas,” Lowack added. “It's really a special time for us and we look forward to it each and every year.”
It's an impact seen across the whole state. According to a study conducted last year, Spring Training had a nearly $700 million impact in the Sunshine State.
In Sarasota County, Baltimore Orioles Spring Training generated more than $72 million there.
“Once Spring Training starts, our [in-store] traffic increases I would say at least 50%,” Clay Freeman, founder of Harley’s Gourmet Popcorn in Dunedin, said.
“The town is just enjoyable, people are buying things and walking around and it's a big impact,” Freeman added.
An impact that continues over the years, when Canadians like John and Tracy MacDonald make it an annual tradition.
“We were here last year and we fell in love with Dunedin that's why we're staying here [again] this year,” MacDonald said.
Here’s a map of teams and spring training locations in Florida:
