Judge denies Ed Smith Stadium injunction

A judge Wednesday denied an emergency injunction that would have stopped construction on Ed Smith Stadium, which could have jeopardized next year’s spring training season for the Baltimore Orioles.

Two citizens groups sought to halt work before a June 28 trial date on their lawsuit against Sarasota County.
Sarasota Citizens for Responsible Government and Citizens for Sunshine claim the county violated Florida’s Sunshine Laws by conducting negotiations with the Baltimore Orioles outside the public eye.

But Judge Bob Bennett ruled yesterday there was not enough evidence to stop the renovation of the $31 million baseball stadium.

The lawsuit did prevent the county from issuing nearly $19 million in bonds to pay for the construction.

Sarasota County, though, pulled money from other sources to begin work on Ed Smith Stadium because it feared the renovation would not be complete by March 2011.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].