LEE COUNTY
Spring training is set to start at the same place people line up daily for rapid coronavirus tests.
There is much still to be figured out about how CenturyLink Sports Complex in Lee County will combine COVID-19 testing with baseball.
The sports complex is home to the Minnesota Twins’ spring training facility, Hammond Stadium. With baseball weeks away, there is a look about whether things will shift because of the test site.
Lines of people have been present at the rapid test site every day during the pandemic.
Commissioner Brian Hamman floated the idea of also using the site as a vaccination location when it becomes a possibility. That’s still months away, but so is spring training.
The parking lot near the entrance of the complex on Six Mile Cypress Parkway is usually packed with cars for people who go to get tested.
It raises the question about whether there would be enough space to handle a baseball game at the same time.
And will the Twins be OK with sharing parking space and parts of the facility with the test site? The Twins won’t answer that question right now.
Florida Division of Emergency Management oversees the COVID-19 site. A spokesperson told us the state is working on a plan to make both testing and baseball happen.
What is confusing for baseball fans is they can buy tickets to spring training games right now.
But buyer beware: The Twins aren’t selling tickets yet. It’s websites such as StubHub that are.
Major League Baseball hasn’t said if or when spring training will open and whether fans will be allowed to watch the games.
If the Twins do play ball at CenturyLink Sports Complex, this would not be the first time a stadium doubles as a test site.
Hard Rock Stadium and Raymond James Stadium — homes to the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — also share their facilities with the division of emergency management.
