This is the first I've read in a while about the Nats moving to Kissimmee and sharing a facility with the Astros, but as I've written here before this is my personal preference. Interesting news here is that they are looking at two new sites and not the one right off of I-4 that would have been under 10 minutes from the Braves site, they are now looking at places right in the middle of Kissimmee, still under a half hour from the Braves and right on the Florida Turnpike so just a bit closer to the Mets, Cards, and Marlins.
Also in the news is that Lee County, the Twins, and the state of Florida have agreed to split three ways $45 million in improvements to the Twins facility. This is notable because the Nats are in talks with Lee County and all previous press on the issue has stated that there was $0 available for ballpark improvements. So now that the county has come up with $~15 million, the question is whether they've blown their load on the Twins and there is nothing left for the Nats or that they were bluffing about having no money and they're still in the running for the Nats.
With the Houston Astros likely leaving Osceola County Stadium when the team's lease ends in 2015, Kissimmee officials are working on a new spring-training complex that could house the 'Stros and possibly the Washington Nationals.
It's all speculative and far from final, but Kissimmee Convention and Visitor's Bureau Executive Director Shelley Maccini reported this week that the city had spoken with several teams about their interest in a new complex. The Astros' lease at Osceola County Stadium runs through 2015, and it's pretty inevitable the team's new owner will want a new home: the ballpark is the smallest in spring training and the complex is in need of upgrades. Also, the Washington Nationals have been open about seeking a new home; the team is being pitched by Lee County to occupy City of Palms Park, the former spring home of the Boston Red Sox. The Astros and Nats already explored one potential joint training complex in the greater Orlando area.
Two sites are being discussed: the Judge Farms property along U.S. Highway 192 and Osceola Heritage Park.
http://ballparkdigest.com/201210265771/major-league-baseball/news/kissimmee-pitching-two-team-complex-for-spring-training
