Mega-ballpark won't be built in Clay County

Big League Dreams could still be part of Northeast Florida

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The Big League Dreams mega-ballpark project in Clay County was tabled Thursday, meaning the ball fields will not be built in the Middleburg area. Channel 4 learned Thursday that there is potential for the pro-style baseball fields to be built somewhere else in Northeast Florida.

Former Jaguar Tony Boselli was a supporter of the project in Clay County and told Channel 4 Thursday night that the Big League Dreams project would have benefited the Middleburg area.

"Are you disappointed?" asked Channel 4's Scott Johnson.

"Oh sure, because we think it's a great concept (and) brings a lot to the region and I think it would have been very successful in Clay County," said Boselli.

Boselli told Channel 4 that there could be other places in Northeast Florida where Big League Dreams could become a reality.

"I don't want to comment on anything specific now, but there's a lot of interest in this," said Boselli.

"So Northeast Florida could still see this?" asked Johnson.

"I believe there's still a chance for Northeast Florida to see it," said Boselli.

The fact that the ball parks won't be built in Clay County is a relief to Clay County Commissioner Ronnie Robinson. Robinson was the projects most vocal critic, saying it would likely have cost county taxpayers closer to $25 million instead of $19 million.

"If it could have been built for $19 million it would've been built. But, like I said, all along it couldn't be built for that. That's how much they had set aside to be built," said Robinson.

Robinson told Channel 4 Thursday night that the park would not have catered to local children and that it wouldn't have bolstered the local economy like a lot of supporters had claimed. Robinson said he looked at various cities around the country where Big League Dreams parks were built.

"All 11 of these I have looked at and researched, there's only one of them that brought any business in. So if you think that's good odds to bring revenue in then so be it," said Robinson.


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.